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O  PRINCETON,    N.    J.  -^J- 


BV    4415     .W65    1872 

Women  helpers  in  the  church 


S/ielj 


WOMEN    HELPERS 

IN 

THE  CHURCH. 


WOMEN    HELPERS 


IN 


THE  CHURCH, 


THEIR  SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


EDITED  BY  WILLIAM^'WELSH. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.   B.   LIPPINCOTT   &   CO. 
1872. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872,  by 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT   &   CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


PSI 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  following  interesting  and  instructive  narratives  of 
woman's  agency  in  winning  souls  and  grafting  them  into 
the  Church,  were  written  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  an 
associate  worker.  He  saw  what  God  had  wrought  through 
the  agency  of  zealous  women  providentially  placed  in  ripe 
fields;  he  therefore  desired  to  obtain  from  them  a  detailed 
statement  of  the  way  in  which  these  successes  had  been 
wrought,  to  encourage  still  more  timid  women  to  use  their 
experience  and  heart-power  in  aid  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry. 

Permission  was  with  difficulty  obtained  from  all  of* the 
writers  to  submit  their  narratives  to  Bishop  Alonzo  Potter 
for  use  at  his  discretion.  He  deemed  their  publication  very 
important,  and  was  in  the  act  of  preparing  them  for  the 
press  when  feeble  health  induced  him  to  undertake  a  sea- 
voyage,  from  which  he  never  returned.  These  papers,  with 
introductory  articles  written  by  the  undersigned  over  the 
letter  H,  were,  after  the  lamented  death  of  Bishop  Potter, 
published  in  the  Spirit  of  Missions. 

The  quickening  influence  of  these  details  of  the  sayings 

(5) 


6  TNTR  OD  UCTION. 

and  doings  of  successful  workers,  was  so  apparent  through- 
out the  Church,  that  several  Bishops  and  other  ministers 
asked  again  and  again  for  their  republication  in  a  more 
compact  and  permanent  form.  Now  that  the  Church  has 
imparted  scriptural  dignity  to  the  spiritual  work  of  women 
helpers,  and  that  missionaries  and  parish  ministers  are 
■  earnestly  seeking  for  such  helpers,  there  is  an  evident  ripe- 
ness for  the  republication  of  these  papers,  and  an  article  on 
parochial  aggressive  work.  W.  W. 

Philadelphia,  1872. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Ripe  Fields. — The  readiness  of  men  and  women  of  the  working 
class  to  receive  appropriate  rehgious  instruction       ....         9 

Teachers  and  Exemplars  of  Christianity. — The  great  body 

of  the  iaity  needed  for  this  work       .......       12 

The  Church  a  Training-School. — Special  training  needed  by 
the  laity  to  enable  them  to  give  efficient  personal  service         .         .       15 

Aggressive  Warfare. — Its  importance  in  quickening  faith,  pro- 
moting hopefulness,  and  imparting  a  practical  missionary  spirit  to 
a  parish 17 

Organization  a  Divine  Power.— Value  of  Church  organizations 
in  giving  stability  and  permanence  to  aggressive  missionary  work   .       20 

Personal  Ministration  a  Divine  Power. — Practical  illustra- 
tions from  the  diary  of  a  woman  helper 21 

The  Social  Element  a  Divine  Power. — Illustrated  by  a  sketch 
of  a  mothers'  meeting,  with  extracts  from  reports  of  a  visiting  com- 
mittee        34 

Light  in  their  Dwellings. — With  records  of  house  to  house 
visiting 45 

Helpers  in  Christ  Jesus. — Spiritual  work  by  women  in  a  Church 
hospital 67 

Results  and  Methods. — A  record  of  the  way  in  which  souls  were 
won  and  drawn  churchward 81 

Welcome  Messengers. — A  narrative  of  a  welcome  reception  and 
its  beneficial  results 95 

Seeking  and  Compelling. — Roughs  sought  out  and  constrained 
to  attend  a  Bible-class 112 

Anti-Incrustator.— Records  of  a  woman  helper  successfully  re- 
moving hinderances  to  aggressive  parish  work,  and  gathering  in  the 
neglected  through  Bible-classes  and  mothers'  meetings  .         .127 

Secret  of  Success. — Records  of  the  successful  application  of  heart- 
power  used  intelligently  and  perseveringly  in  benefiting  reckless 
young  men 14° 

(7) 


8  TABLE    OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Woman's  Highest  Mission. — Letters  from  two  inexperienced 
workers  in  a  military  hospital  revealing  their  unexpected  suc- 
cesses        156 

Christian  Clinics. — Notes  of  religious  instruction  given  at  the 

bedside,  and  in  a  military  hospital 167 

A    Remedial    Intermediate  State. — Journal  of  a  Bible-class 

teacher  preparing  irreligious  men  for  Church  membership  .  .  182 
Portable  Fire  Extinguisher. — The  fire  of  sin  extinguished  in 

the  homes  of  the  irreligious 196 

The  Great  Eastern. — Recovering  the  lost  telegraph  wire.  Nar- 
rative of  reclaiming  a  backslider,  and  using  her  agency  in  quicken- 
ing others 212 

Life  Insurance. — A  record  of  successes  in  a  military  hospital  .  218 
Approaches  to  the  Irreligious. — Illustrated  by  woman's  work 

in  a  military  hospital 226 

"Utilizing  Power"  in  a  sparsely-settled  manufacturing  district  .  237 
Utilized  Power. — Further  records  of  work  in  the  same  field  .  251 
Freely  ye  have  Received,  Freely  Give.— Children  uniting 

with  their  teacher  in  freely  givmg  that  which  cost  them  something  .  261 
A  Mother  Church. — Estrangements  from  her  remedied  .  .  275 
Christian  Zeal  and  Tact. — Exercises  of  it  in  a  rural  mission  .  288 
Teachers'  Records. — Details  of  work  in  a  mihtary  hospital  ,  .  301 
"Advanced  Spiritualism"  shown  by  successes  in  a  Bible-class 

of  men 3^3 

The  Banished. — How  sought  out  and  restored  to  Christ  and  his 

Church 321 

The  Prejudiced. — How  won  to  Christ  and  the  Church        .        .    328 

Prospecting. — Notes  of  visits  in  a  new  field 337 

The  Epistle  of  Christ. — A  sketch  of  woman's  work,  showing 

the  power  of  living  epistles 349 

How    to    Begin. — Commencing   parochial   missions   through   the 

agency  of  sewing-schools 359 

Monthly  Report  of  a  Visitor 363 

A  Letter  from  Bishop  Stevens  asking  for  Practical  Sug- 
gestions AND  Details  of  Aggressive  Parish  Work  .        .    365 
Practical    Suggestions    Prepared    at    the  Request  of 
Bishop  Stevens 3^7 


WOMEN    HELPERS 


IN 


THE   CHURCH. 


RIPE   FIELDS. 

Tidings  from  a  foreign  field  of  its  ripeness  for  the  gospel 
present  to  the  human  heart  the  strongest  and  most  success- 
ful appeal  for  Christian  teachers;  and  surely  this  principle 
is  equally  applicable  to  the  field  immediately  around  our 
homes  and  churches.  When  the  first  disciples  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  marveled  that  He  did  not  restrict  his  teachings 
to  the  members  of  God's  organized  family,  He  said,  ''Lift 
up  your  eyes  and  look  on  the  fields,  for  they  are  white 
already  to  harvest."  As  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  have 
been  proclaimed  for  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years, 
surely  the  human  heart  is  now,  in  this  Christian  land,  still 
more  ready  than  at  first  to  be  garnered  into  the  Church. 
No  person,  however  desponding  or  skeptical,  is  willing  to 
admit  that  the  pulpit,  the  press,  and  the  Sunday-school 
have  utterly  failed  in  their  great  mission  to  the  men  and 
women  of  the  working  classes  and  to  the  poor,  although 
such  are  sadly  neglected  by  the  Christian  Church.  The 
few  who  labor  in  this  field  affirm  that  thousands  of  im- 
mortal beings,  ripe  for  religious  instruction,  are  festering 
and  perishing  around  our  churches  because  no  one  actively 
cares  for  their  souls. 

(  9  ) 


lo  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH. 

These  outcasts  from  the  Church  still  manifest  a  ripeness 
for  religious  instruction  when  it  is  adapted  to  their  capaci- 
ties and  requirements;  they  usually  receive  courteously 
intelligent,  sympathizing  Christian  visitors,  and  evince  a 
willingness  to  join  a  Bible-class,  a  mothers'  meeting,  or 
other  Christian  associations  that  are  congenial  to  their 
tastes. 

One  association  of  ladies,  charged  with  the  supervision 
of  a  very  large  ''mothers'  meeting,"  paid  over  six  thou- 
sand visits  last  year,  and,  from  the  monthly  reports  of  these 
visitors,  it  is  evident  that  both  men  and  women  of  all  na- 
tionalities can  be  readily  won  to  Christ,  and  brought  to 
appropriate  services  in  his  Church  by  prayerful,  sympathiz- 
ing, and  intelligent  effort. 

When  the  most  obdurate  of  such  persons  are  brought  to 
church  hospitals  with  ailments  so  slight  as  to  give  no 
apprehension  of  death.  Christian  teachers  are  surprised  at 
their  readiness  to  receive  religious  instruction,  either  sepa- 
rately or  in  daily  Bible-classes;  and  these  teachers  are  often 
deeply  pained  to  hear  the  sin-stricken  soul  cry  out,  ''No 
one  ever  before  spoke  to  me  about  my  soul!"  This  ripe- 
ness for  religious  teaching  was  apparent  in  our  military 
hospitals,  for  men  slightly  wounded,  when  approached 
tenderly,  intelligently,  and  prayerfully,  were  readily  in- 
duced to  attend  two  daily  Bible-classes;  and  God's  bless- 
ing was  largely  poured  on  these  efforts  for  the  salvation  of 
the  soldier. 

Bishop  Alonzo  Potter  thus  recorded  his  testimony  as  to 
the  ripeness  of  the  great  field  that  surrounds  every  church, 
whether  in  city,  village,  or  country:  "I  have  seen  godless 
men  and  reckless  youth,  who  had  withstood  all  others, 
yielding  to  the  silent  and  persevering  efforts  of  ladies;  and 
demonstrating  how  much  can  be  done  among  the  most 
forlorn  of  our  people  through  this  agency.  It  is  teaching 
us  more  and  more  the  necessity  of   individualizing  our 


RIPE   FIELDS  II 

appeals,  of  making  them  with  all  kindness  and  constancy, 
and  of  coupling  them  with  fervent  and  believing  prayer." 

The  Lord  Bishop  of  Rochester,  speaking  of  recent  suc- 
cessful efforts  to  Christianize  the  most  stolid  and  brutish 
of  the  English  farm  laborers, — "those  hitherto  unapproach- 
able beings," — says,  ''It  may  seem  to  some  like  a  grand 
discovery  that  we  can  now  tell,  without  fear  of  contradic- 
tion, how  the  dullest  of  our  most  rough  and  uncouth 
neighbors  may  be  brought  to  sit  as  teachable,  intelligent 
children  at  our  feet.  But  a  few  years  ago  the  thing  was 
accounted  an  impossibility."  He  adds,  "The  love  of 
Christ,  acting  on  our  own  hearts  and  those  of  others  in  the 
spirit  of  gentleness  and  peace,  has  accomplished  and  will 
effect,  wherever  it  is  brought  to  bear  in  simplicity,  more 
than  is  here  detailed." 

"The  harvest  truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are 
few;  pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He 
would  send  forth  more  laborers  into  his  harvest."  Reader, 
in  offering  this  prayer,  do  not  hold  back  from  any  personal 
service  to  which  you  may  be  called  :  remember,  if  you  have 
freely  received,  you  are  bound  freely  to  give  example,  in- 
fluence, and  instruction  to  all  who  are  less  favored  than 
yourself.  Education,  social  position,  and  money  are  all 
trusts  involving  a  fearful  personal  responsibility  from  which 
an  already  overtasked  minister  cannot  relieve  you,  and 
that  you  have  no  scriptural  warrant  for  delegating  to 
another.  W. 


12  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH. 


TEACHERS   AND   EXEMPLARS   OF   CHRIS- 
TIANITY. 

Who  are  to  be  the  teachers  and  exemplars  of  Christianity 
in  the  family  and  in  the  Church,  the  only  institutions  di- 
vinely appointed  to  promote  the  moral  and  spiritual  reno- 
vation of  fallen  man  ? 

This  is  a  question  of  fearful  moment ;  for,  even  in  our 
highly-favored  land,  so  radiant  with  gospel  light,  the  great 
mass  of  our  people  seem  to  be  going  down  *'  the  broad  way 
that  leadeth  to  destruction."  Is  the  father  or  the  minister 
to  be  the  teacher  and  exemplar  of  Christianity  in  such  a 
sense  as  to  lessen  the  responsibility  of  others,  or  are  all 
Christians  in  their  several  spheres  equally  bound  to  "shine 
as  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth  the  word  of  life?" 

In  the  family,  the  father  is  held  responsible  by  Holy 
Writ  for  the  moral  and  religious  training  and  instruction 
of  his  children,  yet  most  of  "tlie  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord"  is  of  necessity  given  by  the  mother,  who  is 
often  aided  by  the  older  children.  In  a  well-ordered 
Christian  household  the  father  does  not,  through  fear  of 
losing  authority,  restrain  the  mother  and  the  older  children 
from  being  teachers  as  well  as  exemplars  of  Christianity; 
he  incites  them  to  it,  giving  them  the  advantage  of  his 
calmer  judgment  and  his  experience  in  the  world.  He 
takes  advantage  of  the  genial  hearts  of  the  household  to 
make  religion  attractive,  thus  picturing  to  the  youthful 
mind  and  heart  the  joys  which  God  has  in  store  for  all  who 
love  and  serve  Him. 

In  the  Jewish  Church  the  priests  and  Levites  were  com- 
missioned to  preserve  and  proclaim  God's  law,  and  to  point 
to  a  coming  Saviour  through  prescribed  rites  and  ceremo- 
nies ;  but  the  chief  part  of  the  moral  and  religious  training 
devolved  upon  the  members  of  the  household. 


EXEMPLARS   OF  CHRISTIAAVTV.  13 

When  the  Lord  Jesus  in  person  organized  and  established 
the  Christian  Church,  He  plainly  indicated  that  the  sacra- 
ments were  to  be  administered  by  ministers  of  his  appoint- 
ment, who  were  also  to  preach  with  special  authority ;  yet 
it  is  evident  from  the  parables  of  our  Lord  and  his  other 
teachings,  that  all  who  should  freely  receive  his  grace  were 
equally  bound  in  their  respective  spheres  to  manifest  that 
grace  both  in  word  and  deed.  The  Epistles  also  testify  to 
the  great  use  that  the  first  preachers  made  of  all  classes  of 
helpers,  in  extending  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  where  their 
voices  could  not  reach ;  and  also  of  the  absolute  need  of 
the  mature  private  Christian,  not  only  to  exemplify  Chris- 
tianity, but  also  to  teach  and  to  watch  over  persons  recently 
converted  from  skepticism  or  immorality. 

The  Church  has  for  a  long  season  greatly  erred  by  en- 
couraging the  laity,  especially  men  of  high  social  position, 
in  their  natural  desire  to  be  ''hearers  only  ;"  therefore,  lay 
persons  often  consider  it  a  favor  to  their  minister,  instead 
of  an  obvious  duty  and  a  privilege,  to  aid  him  in  the  spirit- 
ual, as  well  as  in  the  temporal  work  of  the  parish. 

When  the  laity  are  not  taught  and  trained  to  be  exem- 
plars of  Christianity,  it  sometimes  occurs  that  they  grow 
cold  at  heart  and  lose  their  interest  in  the  Church,  obliging 
the  minister  to  leave  his  high  vocation  and  collect  money 
from  door  to  door  to  repair  the  church  or  to  free  it  from 
debt.  When  the  laity  have  been  trained  to  perform  the 
spiritual  work  indicated  by  our  Lord  in  his  gospel,  their 
hearts  are  often  refreshed  and  their  minds  so  liberalized 
that  they  zealously  undertake  the  self-denying  work  of  col- 
lecting money,  rather  than  allow  their  minister  to  leave  his 
spiritual  calling. 

Before  the  Church  can  make  any  great  inroad  upon  the 
world,  her  intelligent  and  influential  laity  must  be  taught 
and  made  to  feel,  that  in  proportion  to  their  individual 
interest  in  that  salvation  wrought  out  for  them  by  a  cruci- 

2 


14      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH. 

fied  Redeemer,  is  their  obligation  to  become  exemplars 
and  teachers  of  Christianity  to  persons  less  favored  than 
themselves. 

On  this  subject,  Bishop  Horatio  Potter  and  other  mem- 
bers of  a  committee  thus  spoke  :  "Even  secular  plans  and 
undertakings  may  furnish  the  Church  with  some  hints,  for 
we  read  that  '  the  children  of  this  world  are,  in  their  genera- 
•tion,  wiser  than  the  children  of  light.'  The  politician  never 
rests  ;  he  searches  out  every  voter,  he  brings  before  him 
whatever  may  seem  best  fitted  to  move  him  to  his  purpose; 
he  provides  conveyances  for  the  aged  and  infirm,  he  sup- 
plies him  with  the  ballot,  and  never  leaves  him  till  he  sees 
him  drop  it  where  it  is  beyond  all  further  contingencies. 
So  the  vendor  of  intoxicating  drinks  does  not  depend  merely 
on  the  appetite  of  those  who  pass  his  door,  or  the  good 
quality  of  his  liquors,  or  the  beauty  of  his  saloon,  to  secure 
custom  :  he  employs  those  who  will  be  boon  companions, 
and  add  the  pleasures  of  society  to  the  exhilaration  of  the 
cup.  Often,  too,  he  has  emissaries,  who  go  abroad  to 
lure  the  unwary  :  if  happy,  by  the  promise  of  increased  de- 
lights; if  unhappy,  by  the  prospect  of  oblivion  to  their 
sorrows.  Is  it  strange  that  the  working  man  should  con- 
trast such  unresting  zeal,  such  indomitable  perseverance, 
such  fertile  ingenuity,  such  genial  fellowship,  in  'the  chil- 
dren of  the  world,'  with  the  coldness,  and  the  halting, 
hesitating  efforts  of  those  who  profess  to  work  for  the  eternal 
redemption  of  their  own  souls  and  the  souls  around  them?" 

When  the  Church  adopts  the  suggestion  of  her  Lord,  and 
trains  all  her  members  in  the  exercise  of  their  vocation  and 
ministry,  then  and  not  till  then  will  the  missionary  treasury 
overflow,  or  teachers  and  preachers,  trained  and  tested  in 
the  school  of  practice,  go  forth  to  cultivate  still  more  diffi- 
cult fields.  W. 


THE   CHURCH  A    TRAINTNG-SCHOOL,  15 

THE  CHURCH  A  TRAINING-SCHOOL. 

The  training-schools  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  are  all  in  active  and  successful  operation,  sending 
forth  hosts  of  graduates,  apt  to  teach  through  constant 
practice  and  close  observation  of  the  ever-varying  phases 
of  human  nature. 

The  world  thoroughly  trains  its  leaders  of  fashion  in  the 
science  of  human  nature  and  in  the  use  of  the  pictorial 
and  the  popular,  enabling  them  to  cater  to  the  taste  of 
every  individual  so  perfectly  that  even  Christians  both 
young  and  old  are  often  enslaved  by  its  blandishments.  The 
flesh  schools  its  graduates  in  every  art  and  device  that  can 
excite  or  gratify  man's  varied  lusts;  expending  more  scien- 
tific skill  and  more  money  even  in  manufacturing  super- 
fluous drinks,  and  more  eloquence  and  more  heart  in 
discussing  their  virtues  and  in  exciting  to  their  use,  than 
are  expended  by  Christians  in  their  great  mission  to  a  fallen 
world.  The  devil  selects  mediums  who  are  both  profound 
and  popular  in  inciting  to  so-called  spiritualism  and  skep- 
ticism, and  also  trains  adepts  in  every  department,  ranging 
down  to  the  lowest  vices.  What  closeness  of  observation, 
what  innocency  of  manner,  what  profound  skill,  what  in- 
domitable perseverance  were  manifested  in  robbing  the 
Concord  Bank !  Christians  may  well  be  ashamed  of  their 
lack  of  faith  and  perseverance  when  they  learn  that  these 
thieves  spent  fifteen  days  in  opening  the  outer  door,  and 
eighty  days  and  nights  in  getting  wax  impressions  and  in 
forging  keys  for  the  seven  inner  locks. 

That  the  children  of  this  world  continue  to  be  wiser  than 
the  children  of  light  is  still  further  illustrated  by  the  pres- 
ent mode  of  detecting  counterfeiters  and  burglars,  and  of 
recovering  stolen  treasure  artfully  concealed.  Training- 
schools  for  so-called  detectives  have  been  established  in  all 


1 6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH. 

large  communities;  quick-witted,  observant  men,  with 
ready  sympathies,  are  selected,  and  so  thoroughly  trained 
in  the  school  of  practice  under  competent  masters  that 
they  acquire  an  almost  miraculous  power  of  detecting  evil- 
doers, and  bringing  them  to  confession.  These  experts 
are  thoroughly  organized  under  the  sanction  of  law,  and 
they  confer  together  freely,  that  each  one  may  benefit  by 
the  experience  of  his  fellow,  and  undertake  the  work  for 
which  he  has  the  greatest  aptitude. 

Thus,  whilst  the  Church  is  slowly  awakening  to  the  vital 
importance  of  training  her  clergy  and  laity  to  contend, 
mind  to  mind  and  heart  to  heart,  with  the  individual  man, 
her  triple  enemy  has  hosts  of  graduates  in  the  field,  thor- 
oughly trained  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  their  soul- 
destroying  arts.  When  the  Son  of  God  dwelt  upon  earth. 
He  selected  working  men  and  trained  them  up  for  three 
years  in  the  school  of  practice,  under  his  own  personal  in- 
struction, until  they  acquired  skill  to  do  man's  share  in  the 
great  work  of  unlocking  the  human  mind  and  heart.  If 
this  practical  training  were  needful  when  miiraculous  gifts 
Avere  imparted  to  each  Christian  teacher,  surely  it  is  much 
more  needful  now. 

A  minister  of  the  gospel  who  is  instructed  in  the  doctrines 
and  ritual  of  the  Church,  by  God's  blessing  largely  benefits 
persons  who  are  disposed  to  attend  public  worship;  but 
without  a  practical  training,  he  is  rarely  successful  in 
reaching  the  great  body  of  our  people,  who  must  be  sought 
out  individually,  and  taught  from  house  to  house.  When 
the  art  of  dealing  singly  with  careless  or  reckless  sinners  is 
not  acquired  early  in  the  Christian  life,  later  efforts  are 
usually  impaired  by  a  constraint  that  destroys  the  natural- 
ness, ease  of  manner,  and  ardor  so  necessary  to  success. 
The  irrepressible  zeal  of  some  ardent  Christian  people  will 
find  vent  outside  of  the  Church,  unless  the  minister  has 
skill  to  direct  and  control  it;  or  if  it  is  exercised  success- 


AGGRESSIVE    WARFARE.  1 7 

fully  in  the  parish,  without  the  rector's  supervision,  it  may 
decrease  the  reverence  that  is  his  due.  Zealous  chaplains 
were  eminently  successful,  both  in  hospital  and  camp,  when, 
like  the  physician  and  surgeon,  they  were  skilled  in  treating 
each  man  according  to  his  ascertained  condition ;  but  equally 
godly  ministers,  without  this  qualification,  usually  failed 
utterly  in  their  great  work.  The  missionary  or  teacher  who 
has  not  acquired  the  art  of  succ  ssfully  reaching  the  indi- 
vidual sinner  here,  where  he  is  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
language  and  where  Christianity  exerts  its  strongest  influ- 
ence, may  hardly  expect  much  success  in  heathen  lands, 
where  superstition  and  prejudice  abound;  and  such  a 
minister  will  rarely  be  able  to  grapple  successfully  with 
reckless  and  irreverent  people,  the  usual  pioneers  in  the 
frontier  settlements  of  our  own  country.  W. 


AGGRESSIVE  WARFARE. 

In  carnal  warfare,  aggressive  operations  incite  to  hopeful 
bravery,  although  inseparably  connected 'with  privations, 
fatigue,  and  danger;  whilst  a  long  continuance  behind 
defenses  in  the  presence  of  an  active  foe,  is  virtually  an 
admission  of  weakness,  disloyalty,  or  cowardice,  tending 
invariably  to  dispirit  and  demoralize  the  bravest  men. 

This  is  equally  true  of  spiritual  warfare;  for  Christ's 
soldiers  become  sadly  demoralized  in  every  parish  resting 
complacently  in  the  security  of  its  apostolic  order,  instead 
of  stirring  up  its  people  to  an  apostolic  aggressiveness  by 
which  alone  the  Church  can  prove  her  divine  commission, 
and  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil. 

Divine  authority  for  a  purely  defensive  system  of  spiritual 
warfare  ceased  when,  inp  the  fullness  of  time,  Christianity, 


1 8      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH 

under  its  great  Leader,  sallied  forth  from  the  defenses  of 
Judaism  and  organized  the  system  of  aggressive  warfare,  by 
which  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  to  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

The  defensive  and  cohesive  powers  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  have  been  satisfactorily  tested  both  in  a 
monarchy  and  in  a  republic,  by  revolution,  rebellions, 
political  strifes,  and  popular  prejudices;  but  her  aggressive 
powers  have  not  yet  been  fully  developed.  Her  admirable 
liturgical  system,  so  influential  on  the  heart  and  life  of 
persons  trained  to  its  use,  is  not  aggressive  in  its  tendency, 
although  it  prepares  the  laity  to  unite  in  active  measures 
diligently  and  safely. 

A  learned  ministry  is  essential  in  defending  the  faith, 
but  profound  theologians  seldom  accommodate  their  public 
instruction  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  or  acquire 
skill  in  dealing  with  them  privately.  In  times  of  great 
ignorance,  ardent  public  preaching  moved  masses  of  men 
through  their  superstitious  fears,  and  by  the  forceful  fresh- 
ness of  the  gospel  theme;  but  that  time  has  passed,  by 
reason  of  increased  intelligence  and  a  mental  familiarity 
with  the  truths  of  the  gospel.  The  effect  of  this  change  is 
so  apparent  that*  aggressive  ministers  and  teaches  find  it 
necessary  to  deal  separately  and  intelligently  with  each 
individual,  and  to  follow  up  their  instruction  closely, 
prayerfully,  and  perseveringly. 

As  skill  in  dealing  with  the  individual  mind  and  heart  is 
now  essential  to  success  in  aggressive  spiritual  warfare,  and 
a  learned  ministry  is  equally  important  to  the  well-being 
of  the  Church,  this  union  becomes  a  necessity. 

High  mental  culture  disinclines  to  practical  details, 
therefore  early  training  is  needful  to  give  ease  of  manner 
in  thus  opposing  natural  tastes;  and  in  the  legal  and  medi- 
cal  professions,  where  this  combination  is  obviously  neces- 
sary to  success,  there  is  no  insurjinountable  difficulty  in 
forming  it. 


AGGRESSIVE    WARFARE.  ip 

In  carnal  warfare  this  union  has  also  been  effected,  for 
the  greatest  generals  are  thoroughly  practical  in  dealing 
with  men  separately,  as  well  as  in  directing  them  collect- 
ively; they  are  also  intimately  acquainted  with  the  details 
of  every  department  under  their  supervision.  The  most 
profound  lawyers  not  only  argue  learnedly  before  the  judge, 
but  they  are  also  trained  to  read  the  character  of  an  illiter- 
ate jury,  in  order  to  appeal  to  them  successfully.  What 
wonderful  skill  they  manifest  in  eliciting  from  each  witness 
all  that  is  deemed  material  to  the  case,  and  inducing  him 
to  tell  it  effectively !  The  learned  and  eloquent  medical 
professor,  if  he  be  a  practitioner,  accommodates  his  mind 
and  manners  to  each  patient  to  secure  affection  and  confi- 
dence, and  to  avail  himself  of  his  knowledge  in  discover- 
ing all  the  symptoms  of  the  disease.  He  deals  patiently 
with  spoiled  children  and  unmannerly  or  irritable  adults, 
and  he  bears  uncomplainingly  much  that  is  in  violent 
opposition  to  a  refined  taste,  because  it  is  necessary  to  success 
in  his  profession. 

To  prepare  for  these  trials,  and  to  acquire  the  requisite 
skill,  the  medical  and  surgical  student  and  the  young  prac- 
titioner avail  themselves  of  the  most  loathsome  and  danger- 
ous practice  in  hospitals,  almshouses,  and  dispensaries. 

An  obvious  call  of  God  to  the  Christian  ministry  is  no 
guarantee  of  success  or  even  support,  unless  this  high 
spiritual  calling  awakens  the  vital  energies  and  incites  to 
intelligent  and  zealous  efforts  as  thoroughly  as  any  secular 
profession. 

The  Church  seems  each  year  more  and  more  to  realize 
the  need  of  aggressive  warfare,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
as  is  evidenced  by  increased  prayerfulness,  by  a  freer  con- 
tribution of  means,  by  an  earnest  desire  to  reach  people 
hitherto  neglected,  and  by  an  effort  to  make  both  clergy 
and  laity  more  apt  for  this  work  by  training  them  in  the 
school  of  practice.        .  W. 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH. 


ORGANIZATION  A  DIVINE  POWER. 

The  children  of  this  world  rightly  estimate  the  omnipo- 
tence of  human  organization,  as  is  evinced  by  the  thorough- 
ness of  their  political  and  military  rules,  discipline,  and 
drill;  the  power  thus  concentrated  and  controlled  becom- 
ing irresistible  when  directed  against  a  force  in  all  other 
respects  greatly  superior  to  it.  The  perfection  and  power 
of  God's  organizations  are  manifested  in  the  vegetable  and 
animal  kingdoms;  the  tiny  fragile  cell  adapting  itself  to 
the  infinite  requirements  of  the  highly  complex  structures 
that  grow  out  of  it,  and  all  the  discordant  shapes  and  ma- 
terials harmoniously  working  together  to  produce  a  perfect 
organism. 

In  all  civilized  countries  God's  hand  is  universally 
recognized  in  the  family  organization  with  its  relative 
obligations  of  husband  and  wife,  parent  and  child;  but 
fallen  man  is  naturally  prone  to  value  this  organization 
more  highly  than  that  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  to 
spend  more  time  and  money  in  upholding  it,  because  any 
moral  taint  in  wife  or  children  affects  a  husband's  happi- 
ness or  standing  more  directly  than  their  spiritual  defection. 
Even  zealous  Christians  of  ardent  and  impulsive  tempera- 
ments often  practically  ignore  or  lightly  esteem  a  church 
organization,  preferring  a  sort  of  independent  guerilla 
warfare  to  a  more  orderly  and  enduring  work,  under  the 
control  of  a  properly  officered  and  organized  body.  It 
is  true  that  God,  in  the  abundance  of  his  mercy,  blesses 
much  of  this  character  of  work,  just  as  He  does  the 
imperfectly  organized  cryptogamic  vegetable,  whose  office 
it  is  to  prepare  soil  for  the  plant  of  a  more  complete 
organism  that  has  seed  within  itself.  The  prolific  orchard, 
when  unskillfully  tended,  often  abounds  in  offshoots  from 
the  roots  of  trees  (or  suckers,  as  they  are  termed  from 


PERSONAL   MINISTRATION  A   DIVINE   POWER.        21 

their  exhausting  propensities),  and  when  such  are  separated 
from  the  parent  stock  and  transplanted,  the  same  infirmity 
is  sure  to  be  perpetuated  by  them.  As  the  Christian 
Church  induced  the  growth  of  just  such  offshoots  by 
unduly  restraining  the  growing  and  fruit-bearing  properties 
of  the  stock,  it  behooves  her  members  to  deal  kindly  with 
other  Christian  bodies  and  erratic  individuals,  and  to  stim- 
ulate her  own  fruit-bearing  properties,  that  the  full  power 
of  a  completely  organized  Church  may  be  manifested. 

A  little  while  since  the  evil  one,  through  the  agency  of 
the  poor  African  slave,  seemed  likely  to  sever  this  nation 
into  as  many  fragments  as  he  did  the  Christian  Church; 
but  the  Ethiopian  stretched  out  his  hand  toward  God,  and 
now,  instead  of  being  the  wedge  to  rive  the  nation,  he,  as 
the  freedman,  is  binding  this  people  and  this  Church  more 
closely  than  ever  before.  When  other  religious  bodies  and 
even  human  governments  are  looking  hopefully  to  this 
Church,  surely  it  is  a  time  for  her  members  to  show  her 
true  catholicity  by  cultivating  the  broadest  charity,  and 
exercising  it  among  themselves  and  towards  those  that  are 
without.  "A  great  door  and  effectual  is  open  to"  her,  ''and 
there  are  many  adversaries."  "Watch  ye,  stand  fast  in 
the  faith,  quit  you  like  men,  be  strong.  Let  all  things  be 
done  with  charity."  W. 


PERSONAL    MINISTRATION   A    DIVINE    POWER. 

Revelation  proclaims,  and  experience  attests,  that  sym- 
pathizing love,  conveyed  by  personal  Christian  instruction 
and  other  ministrations,  is  God's  great  agent  to  prepare  the 
natural  heart  for  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  neglect  of  such  an  agency  is  criminal,  now  that  God 
is  making  this  power  the  more  apparent  by  the  increasingly 


22      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

large  proportion  of  candidates  for  confirmation  who  trace 
their  first  religious  impressions  and  their  final  decision,  to 
the  loving  personal  assiduity  of  a  minister  or  his  helpers. 
By  these  personal  ministrations  only  can  the  Word  of  God 
be  conveyed,  with  Divine  power,  to  the  dwellers  in  lanes 
and  alleys,  and  to  the  loungers  in  the  highways  and  hedges, 
and  by  sympathizing  love  alone  can  such  be  compelled  to 
come  to  the  marriage  supper.  In  every  parish  that  has  in- 
telligently and  fully  availed  itself  of  the  Divine  power  of 
prayerful  personal  ministrations,  communicants  have  in- 
creased in  number,  stability,  and  missionary  zeal,  and  there 
is  an  evident  increase  in  reverence  for  the  Church,  her 
Sacraments,  and  Ministry.  The  following  touching  recital 
of  recent  occurrences  in  the  experience  of  one  who  has 
neither  wealth,  nor  health,  nor  freedom  from  family  cares, 
beautifully  illustrates  this.  The  record  was  not  designed  for 
publication,  being  simply  the  monthly  report  of  a  lady- 
visitor  to  the  principal  of  a  mothers'  meeting,  W. 

''I  prayed  to-day  with  a  wife  and  mother  for  her  husband 
and  children.  For  years  this  woman,  through  affliction 
and  misery,  such  as  only  a  wife  can  feel,  has  prayed  and 
hoped  and  waited  to  see  the  least  evidence  of  the  Spirit's 
work  in  her  husband's  heart,  hard  and  cold  by  nature — but 
still  harder  by  being  involved  in  the  meshes  of  intemper- 
ance— so  stony  that  the  seed,  sown  with  prayer  and  bitter 
tears,  has  failed  to  take  root.  But  to  day  she  said,  '  Oh,  I 
see  a  little  change  in  Will ;  I  read  your  letter  to  him,  and 
he  was  different  from  usual ;  he  didn't  speak,  but  sat 
silently  eating  his  breakfast,  so  I  couldn't  help  saying  some- 
thing when  I  saw  him  so  quiet  like,  and  said.  Oh,  Will, 
can't  you  listen  to  her  telling  you  about  Christ  ?i  You 
would  be  happy  and  so  would  I.  He  used  to  bluff  me  off; 
now  he  only  said,  I  know — I  would  go  to  church  on  Sun- 
day if  I  was  not  going  away.     (He  was  about  leaving  the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


23 


town  for  work.)  Oh,  I  can't  tell  how  full  my  heart  was. 
Oh,  I  think  there  is  a  change  going  on.  Think  how  many 
years  we  have  been  married,  and  I  could  never  get  him  to 
go  or  say  anything  even  in  favor  of  the  church,  but  I  see 
of  late  he  is  more  gentle  and  is  better  about  letting  me  go.' 
I  advised  her  to  say  very  little,  but  to  pray  and  watch  ; 
also,  to  avoid  going  to  church  if  he  seemed  incommoded 
by  or  irritated  about  it. 

"This  little  evidence  of  light,  dawning  into  the  soul,  may 
not  seem  much  to  others,  but  to  her  and  to  me,  to  us  who 
had  so  long  in  midnight  darkness  waited  for  the  first  cheer- 
ing streak  of  dawn,  like  the  weary  watcher  by  the  sick-bed, 
it  is  an  earnest  of  better  days  to  come.  It  was  a  precious 
hour  I  spent  in  that  house  j  the  three  little  children  knelt 
with  their  mother  and  me  to  ask  God  to  bless  and  save  that 
erring  and  then  absent  father.  Our  hearts  were  indeed  full. 
I  went  away  with  the  thought,  '  The  word  that  for  Him  thou 
so  west  shall  return  unto  Him  again.' 

" Truly  to-day  have  I  seen  'the  blind  led  by  a  way  which 
they  knew  not.'  I  have  scarcely  known  a  woman  more 
ignorant  than  Betty  D.,  unless  it  was  Betty  E.,  the  first 
woman  I  ever  led  to  Jesus.  She  has  so  improved  that  now, 
after  four  years  have  passed,  it  is  difficult  to  realize  how  very 
dark  her  mind  and  heart  were  at  that  time.  My  present 
Betty  makes  me  think  of  the  hours  I  spent  with  the  other ; 
neither  can  read  ;  both  are  of  the  lowest  of  English  work- 
ing families,  and  have,  from  early  childhood,  lived  in  the 
midst  of  the  smoke  of  the  factory  and  the  filth  of  neglected 
homes,  without  any  knowledge  of  thrift  or  cleanliness. 
The  one,  from  the  side  of  the  dead  body  of  her  babe,  looked 
out  from  her  anguish  to  the  God-man,  Christ  Jesus,  and 
heard  the  words,  'Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  are  weary.' 
The  other  is  pressed  down  with  sorrow  such  as  few  are 
called  upon  to  bear — her  husband  suddenly,  in  the  midst 
of  health,  being  made  a  cripple  for  life,  and  unable  to  do 


24 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


anything  for  his  family,  so  that  upon  her  falls  the  weight 
of  care  he  had  borne.  She  must  go  out  from  her  little 
children  and  earn  bread  for  all ;  her  five  or  six  dollars, 
earned  in  the  factory,  must  be  their  only  dependence.  In 
her  misery  she  looked  for  some  bright  place  to  relieve  the 
darkness  of  her  dreary  path,  and  He  who  notes  the  falling 
of  the  sparrow  sent  the  sweet  story  of  the  Cross  to  her,  the 
precious  love  of  Jesus ;  and  when  her  claim  to  that  love 
and  that  Cross  was  made  clear  to  her,  a  stream  of  heavenly 
light  seemed  to  come  in  upon  her,  and  in  her  simple  faith 
she  cried  out,  while  tears  streamed  down  her  face,  *  But, 
oh,  what  can  I  do?  He  done  all  that  for  me;  it  seems  I 
must  do  something  to  let  Him  know  I  love  Him.'  Her 
husband  had  the  seed  sown  in  his  heart  while  in  the  hospital, 
and  it  needed  but  culture  to  spring  into  life.  The  earnest 
attention  with  which  he  listens  to  instruction  is  most  touch- 
ing. 'Ah,  that  is  good  for  us  to  know,'  he  one  day  said 
to  me  after  I  had  explained  to  him  some  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture. Another  day  I  read  the  Fifteenth  Chapter  of  I.  Corin- 
thians, and  dwelt  at  length  upon  the  resurrection.  This 
day  he  was  much  depressed  with  the  weight  of  the  burden 
he  must  carry  so  long.  I  admitted  how  hard  and  weari- 
some was  the  life  before  him,  and  then  led  him  to  contem- 
plate the  glory  of  the  rest  for  the  people  of  God.  With 
trembling  lips  he  said,  'And  it  is  not  long,  after  all,  and 
then  to  have  that  peace.'  Another  day,  when  he  was  suffer- 
ing much,  I  told  him  what  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  were,  one 
being  patience,  and  remarked,  '  Why,  D.,  do  you  know 
God  is  intending  you  to  be  educated  to  teach  in  his  great 
school?'  He  laughed  and  said,  '  Nay,  not  me.'  I  replied, 
'Oh,  yes,  D.,  I  am  one  of  your  scholars,  and  you  have 
given  me  my  lesson  to-day ;  you  have  taught  me  patience. 
I  did  not  feel  patient  to-day,  and  as  I  sit  with  you  I  learn 
it.'  'Oh,  but  I  would  give  all  the  world  to  walk  again 
and  earn  my  living  as  I  once  did  ;'  and,  pausing  a  moment. 


THEIR  SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  25 

he  continued,  'all  but  my  faith  in  Christ.'  I  said,  'Then 
nothing  would  induce  you  to  part  with  that?'  He  replied, 
'No,  no,  nothing.'  Then  did  I  realize  how  'the  crooked 
paths  were  made  straight,  the  rough  ways  smooth  ;'  how 
*  the  blind  were  led  by  a  way  they  knew  not. '  And  then 
came  to  me  the  beautiful  parable,  'The  kingdom  of  heaven 
is  like  a  grain  of  mustard  seed;'  for  verily  the  tree  of 
heavenly  knowledge  had  here  spread  out  its  branches  so 
that  the  birds  might  'lodge  in  the  branches  thereof.'  One 
day  he  said,  'It  is  all  God's  doing;  I  think  that  all  day.' 

"How  good  it  is  for  our  own  souls  to  be  doing  this  work 
for  Christ ;  the  skeleton  in  our  own  house  looks  less  ghastly 
when  we  see  what  is  behind  the  curtain  in  the  homes  of 
others.  Joined  to  the  church  upon  earth,  I  shall  hope  to 
meet  these  children  of  sorrow  in  the  Church  triumphant, 
where  there  shall  be  no  more  crying ;  where  all  tears  shall 
be  wiped  away. 

"  I  have  seen  my  poor  weak  Charley  to-day.  For  a  brief 
space  he  had  turned  his  back  upon  his  enemy,  the  wine- 
cup,  but  to-day  we  had  the  old  sad  story  again.  He  sat 
reading  a  tract  I  had  given  him.  I  said,  '  Charley,  you  are 
sick  and  will  not  take  medicine  ;  how  can  you  expect  other- 
wise than  that  your  malady  will  increase?  You  stay  away 
from  God's  house,  from  the  only  way  in  which  you  can  hope 
for  help,  away  from  your  Saviour,'  'I  know  it,'  he  re- 
plied, 'and  here  I  sit  and  do  not  start,  and  still  I  know  I 
ought;  I  think  I  will;  I  intend  to  do  differently.'  'Ah, 
my  friend,  do  you  not  know  that  the  way  to  hell  is  paved 
with  good  intentions  ?  I  believe  many  go  down  to  dark- 
ness, passing  right  by  the  gate  of  glory.  It  will  but  in- 
crease your  misery  to  look  back  and  remember  that  to-day 
you  felt,  as  you  talked  to  me,  a  faint  longing  after  truth  and 
holiness ;  how  exceedingly  bitter  will  be  your  cry  when 
you  remember  that,  of  your  own  f^ee  will,  you  threw  away 
your  birthright  in  heaven,  sold  it  for  a  few  days  of  pleasure  !' 

3 


26  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

Seeing  him  deeply  moved,  we  knelt  down.  He  was  touched 
to  tears,  yet  held  back,  too  weak  to  grasp  the  truth,  too  fast 
asleep  to  see  the  light  to  come  to  Christ.  I  sometimes 
wish  another  had  this  soul  to  lead.  He  always  urges  me  to 
come  again,  repents  and  falls,  and  only  because  he  trusts 
in  self.  Week  after  week  I  long  to  see  him  come  to  the 
fountain.  Unlike  Will,  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  he  is  a 
tender-hearted,  indulgent  father  and  kind  husband,  and  yet 
is  as  far  as  the  other  from  the  fountain  which  cleanseth  from 
all  sin. 

*' To-day,  for  the  first   time  for  a  long  while,  I  found 

E 1  at  home.     Met  his  wife  outside,  who  told  me  she 

did  not  know  whether  to  tell  me  to  go  in  or  not,  that  he  had 
been  very  disrespectful  to  our  minister,  and  had  forbidden 
her  reading  the  Bible.  With  a  prayer  for  guidance,  I 
entered  and  found  him  drinking  his  coffee.  He  gave  me  a 
sharp  look,  not  very  encouraging ;  interpreted,  it  was  very 
like  saying,  '  What's  your  business  here  ?'  I  called  him  by 
name,  saying,  'Don't  you  know  me?'  'Oh,  yes,'  trying 
very  hard  to  smile,  'sit  down.'  Knowing  what  dangerous 
ground  I  was  on,  I  felt  my  way  very  cautiously;  at  first  said 
nothing  directly  for  my  Master,  but  asked  him  about  the 
place  of  his  birth,  his  parents  and  home,  hoping  to  find 
some  tender  spot  where  childhood  had  left  its  impress, 
where  a  mother's  voice  had  lingered  to  echo  again  through 
memory's  chamber  the  words  of  a  forgotten  prayer.      He 

told  me  he   lived  near  W ,  went   to   Sunday-school, 

all  his  life,  every  Sunday ;  told  me  how  his  mother  always 
went,  and  made  them  go ;  how  he  had  left  his  home  and 
come  here,  being  friendless  for  many  years,  his  early  man- 
hood being  spent  among  men.  He  grew  hard,  indifferent, 
and  at  last  an  unbeliever,  his  heart  set  against  the  Church. 
I  asked  whether  he  had  ever  been  in  the  church  here.  He 
replied,  '  No,  never ;  I  do  not  like  it. '  I  then  said,  '  Suppose 
I  were  to  go  into  your  shop  and  pronounce  judgment  upon 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


27 


your  work,  that  it  was  poor,  in  fact  good  for  nothing,  when 
I  knew  nothing  about  the  principles  upon  which  you  worked, 
nothing  about  it  when  finished,  good  or  bad,  what  would 
you  think  of  me  ?'  *  Well,'  he  replied,  '  I  would  think  you 
very  foolish. '  '  Would  you  ?  why,  that  is  just  what  you  are 
doing  about  the  Church.  You  say  you  know  nothing  about 
the  Church  and  that  you  do  nt)t  like  it.  Now  what  shall  I 
think  of  you,  my  dear  friend  ?'  He  laughed  a  real  hearty 
laugh  and  said,  '  You  got  me.  Well,'  he  said,  'suppose  I 
come  and  see  it  and  don't  like  it,  will  you  let  me  alone?' 
*  I  couldn't  do  that,  my  friend  ;  I  might  not  urge  you  to 
go  to  church  just  now,  but  I  would  tell  you  what  I  know 
about  God  and  his  dealings  with  his  creatures,  and  of 
Christ's  atoning  blood  ;  I  must  do  that  now  as  long  as  we 
both  meet.'  He  said,  '  Well,  I  will  come  and  see  it,  but  not 
just  now.'  So  I  left  him.  I  since  saw  his  wife.  She  said 
he  was  not  at  all  cross,  and  had  remarked,  'I  would  rather 
talk  to  that  woman  ;  she  means  all  she  says.'  Also,  that 
he  was  telling  the  man  next  door  about  our  talk  with  great 
respect  and  kindness.  So  it  was  not  forgotten,  even  if  un- 
heeded. May  God  bless  and  soften  that  cold  rebellious 
heart.  To  know  that  he  remembered,  gives  me  some  hope. 
''  I  wish  I  could  say  something  more  pleasant  about  my 

old  friends,  the .     I  have  been  comparing  them  now 

with  four  years  ago  when  I  spent  some  time  every  week, 
teaching  and  building  them  up  in  the  faith.     It  is  hard  to 

think  how  often  they  have  fallen  back.     I  found  H 

sober  this  week.  I  believe  this  man's  difficulty  is  his  self- 
righteousness  ;  he  imagines  himself  much  better  than  his 
fallen  brother,  because  he  is  honest  enough  to  tell  always 
when  he  goes  wrong.  He  was  very  drunk  again  on  Sunday 
after  my  talk  with  him.  They  all  are  more  careless  ;  his 
wife,  I  think,  mourns  and  promises  herself  and  God  that 
she  will  be  earnest  and  prayerful,  but  her  hot  temper  often 
makes  all  the  house  suffer.     Old  grandmother  calls  me  still 


28  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

her  mother, — none  like  me ,  loves  to  see  me  and  have  me 
pray  with  her,  and  then  quarrels  with  all  about  her  as  soon 
as  I  am  gone,  not  because  she  is  insincere,  but  it  is  her 
failing.  Oh,  the  wonderful  blood  that  shall  make  these 
poor,  weak,  and  un:  rofitable  servants  heirs  of  the  kingdom 
— praying  to-day,  to-morrow  scolding  and  reviling ;  this  is 
the  household  history  from  year  to  year. 

*'  Amanda  B.  came  to  ask  me  back  to  their  house,  saying 
that  her  husband  was  home,  and  he  wanted  me.  I  went 
in,  saying  '  Indeed,  I  cannot  spare  a  moment,  and  as  you 
have  joined  the  men's  Bible-class  I  do  not  feel  so  much 
care  of  you.'  'That  must  not  make  any  difference,'  he 
replied.  *  I  want  to  hear  you  talk  to  me  again  before  I  am 
a  member  of  the  church.'  He  said  it  was  so  hard  for  him 
to  forgive  an  injury,  bethought  about  it  in  connection  with 
a  recent  awful  murder,  and  felt  just  that  wicked  spirit  when 
any  one  harmed  him.  Poor  fellow  !  how  my  heart  melted 
to  hear  him  speak  of  these  things  in  so  childlike  a  manner. 
When  I  thought  of  his  dark  and  wretched  home,  his  cruel 
father,  drunken  mother,  no  God,  no  Saviour,  no  light  known 
to  him  from  the  cradle  up  to  manhood,  and  now  saw  him 
like  a  child,  come  to  his  Saviour,  trying  to  put  away  the 
thought  that  might  hurt  his  soul,  I  could  not  but  wonder 
why  we  ever  doubt  the  power  of  God's  grace.  To  see  that 
man,  a  Christian,  praying  with  his  family,  training  his 
children,  seems  indeed  a  miracle;  yet  it  is  even  so;  and 
then,  to  see  him  troubled  at  his  secret  thoughts,  thoughts 
that  perhaps  we,  more  advanced  ones,  would  pass  by  unob- 
served. This  was  a  pleasant  visit,  for  I  felt  so  grateful  to 
God,  and  was  filled  with  wonder  for  all  his  goodness  to 
man.  It  seemed  the  devil  must  feel  himself  bound  hand 
and  foot,  and  his  kingdom  shaken  when  poor  J.,  turning 
his  back  upon  bondage  and  chains,  pressed  onward  to 
liberty  and  the  land  of  promise.  The  Holy  Spirit  being  his 
teacher,  the  Son  his  intercessor,  may  he  learn  daily,  both 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  29 

in  thought  and  action,  to  do  more  and  more  the  will  of  his 
heavenly  Father.  Another  husband  and  wife  sealed  for 
eternity. 

"Liberty  Street !  How  I  love  that  walk.  Good,  faith- 
ful Mrs.  H.,  so  depressed;  the  loss  of  her  boy  seems  to 
have  crushed  her,  yet  she  can  speak  for  her  Saviour.  I  call 
her  my  missionary.  She  seems  to  have  gained  by  her  con- 
sistent example  the  esteem  of  the  whole  street.  Susie  T., 
gentle  and  kind,  but  not  so  earnest  as  might  be.  Amanda, 
brave,  open,  and  sincere ;  ready  to  do  anything  pointed 
out  as  right. 

"Poor  Mary  L. !  She  is  one  dark  spot  in  my  work, 
which  grows  larger  and  larger.  I  find  her  drunk  almost 
every  time  I  go  there;  scarcely  ever  in  condition  to  be 
instructed.  Soon  again  to  become  a  mother,  and  yet  so 
debased;  it  is  a  pitiable  sight.  Often  I  find  her  little 
children  almost  naked,  and  so  filthy.  The  house  wretched, 
so  close,  so  loathsome,  it  is  difficult  to  stay  in  it.  Poor 
soul !  she  seems  bent  on  her  own  destruction.  My  heart 
aches  for  her.  At  times  she  seems  touched,  and  you  can 
sec  the  better  life  struggling  to  break  through  this  load  of 
depravity.  I  often  think,  as  I  look  at  her,  of  the  lepers 
who  were  cleansed,  of  the  blind  who  received  sight,  and 
of  the  deaf  who  heard.  I  know  just  such  miracles  of  grace 
can  now  be  performed,  and  I  wonder  if  I  pray  enough  for 
poor  Mary.  At  times  she  has  said  resolutely,  'I  will 
change,  I  will^r2iY,'  but  vice  has  an  iron  grip  upon  her, 
and  she  is  powerless,  because  she  will  not  cling  to  the  One 
mighty  to  save,  and  call  on  the  stronger  than  the  strong 
one  for  help. 

"Good  Mrs.  S.  to-day  seemed  filled  with  desire  to  do 
something  for  others.  She  says,  '  I  am  a  poor  talker,  but 
couldn't  I  do  something  else?'  I  recalled  poor  Betty  D., 
sitting  up  at  night,  after  her  day  of  toil  in  the  factory,  to 
mend  and  make,  and  I  asked  her  if  she  could  help  her. 

3* 


30 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 


With  tearful  eyes  she  caught  at  the  suggestion,  saying,  '  Oh, 
yes,  if  they  would  let  me  do  it.'  I  feel  sometimes  I  could 
sit  at  the  feet  of  this  humble  follower  of  the  Lamb ;  more 
often  am  I  taught  by  her  than  she  by  me. 

*' Another  visit  to  my  Charley  to-day.  Sunday  noon, 
and  he  not  dressed;  been  all  the  morning  cleaning  wagons 
to  go  with  a  firemen's  parade  on  Monday.  He  was  so 
ashamed  he  sent  one  of  his  children  into  their  little  parlor 
to  ask  me  to  excuse  him.  I  sent  in  word  I  had  seen  him 
in  his  working  clothes  before.  He  was  eating  dinner.  I 
made  a  pretext  to  go  out  into  the  kitchen.  He  looked 
mortified,  and  told  me  how  he  had  spent  the  morning.  I 
said,  ^  Charley,  it  was  the  dirt  inside  you  were  ashamed  of 
more  than  that  outside.'  He  replied,  'You're  right;  I  am 
ashamed;  it  won't  happen  again.'  'Charley,  how  often 
have  you  deluded  yourself  thus !  won't  you  dress  and  come 
to  church  this  afternoon?'  'I  can't,  indeed,  I  promised 
to  go  back  to  the  fellows.'  'And  you  will  parade  to- 
morrow?' 'Yes,  I  expect  to.'  'Well,  Charley,  do  you 
know  there  is  an  enemy  of  yours  going  to-morrow?'  'No,' 
replied  he,  'they  are  all  friends.'  'But  you  will  have  an 
enemy  who  will  take  hold  of  the  ropes  with  you,  or  sit  by 
you  when  you  dine,  and  will  do  his  best  to  bring  you  into 
trouble;  he  knows  just  how  to  do  it,  and  intends  to  do  it.' 
*Oh,  I  understand  you  now,  but  I  promise  I  will  look  out 
for  him.'  'Well,  Charley,  a  soldier  always  takes  weapons 
to  protect  himself,  and  in  old  times  they  always  put  on 
armor  to  turn  away  the  darts  of  the  enemy;  now  you  are 
going  to  battle  to-morrow,  come  with  me  and  get  the 
armor.'  He  looked  down,  and  said,  'Wait  till  next  Sun- 
day.' It  crossed  my  mind  that  if  he  did  go  and  fall  again, 
perhaps  it  would  do  him  good,  and  show  him  how  weak  he 
was;  he  must  learn  by  sad  experience.  So  I  said,  'Well, 
Charley,  I  will  not  urge, — I  only  advise;  good-by,  my 
friend.'     Monday  passed,  and  sad  indeed  was  the  result  for 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  31 

poor  Charley;  no  armor,  no  sword  of  the  Spirit,  all  alone; 
what  could  we  hope?  He  fell  powerless  under  the  enemy. 
I  have  not  yet  seen  him,  and  have  only  heard  of  his  shame. 
So  weak,  poor  fellow  ! 

"I  went  to  see  J.  again,  or  rather  to  see  the  wife  and 
new  baby,  which  is  to  be  my  namesake.  I  am  not  partial  to 
namesakes,  but  this  one  I  shall  always  think  of  with  pleas- 
ure.    Amanda  said,  'I  told  Mrs.  we  were  going  to 

name  our  baby  for  you,  but  I  feared  you  would  not  like  it. 
You  found  us  in  darkness  and  brought  us  to  light,  and  for 

this  we  want  to  name  her  after  you.     Mrs.  told  us 

you  would  be  pleased,  if  we  did  it  for  that.'  I  do  not  think 
I  shall  be  likely  to  forget  this  child,  named  with  such  a 
thought  in  the  minds  of  both  father  and  mother. 

*'  In  my  visiting  to-day,  I  met  with  some  instances  which 
I  think  would  remove  from  the  minds  of  many  two  errors. 
First,  the  idea  that  our  people  are  pressed  into  the  Church 
without  proper  knowledge  of  their  obligations,  and  con- 
sequently are  in  danger  of  relapsing  into  their  old  habits  or 
even  worse.  I  was  with  many  of  the  communicants  to- 
day.    One  woman  said   to  me,  'Some  people  don't  like 

Mr.  's  preaching;  but  I  think  the  lectures  he  gives  on 

Wednesday  evenings  bring  me  nearer  to  Christ  every  time 
I  go.  I  cannot  bear  to  stay  away,  he  has  made  it  so  clear 
to  me  how  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  our  souls.  I  didn't 
know  how  to  pray  to  the  Spirit  before.' 

*' Another  said,  'Oh,  I  do  love  mothers'  meeting.  I  am 
so  tired  sometimes  when  I  go,  but  it  just  rests  me  to  hear 

Mrs.  pray,  and  to  see  the  ladies  so  happy  and  ready 

to  help  us  do  good.' 

"Another,  my  poor  friend  Betty  D.,  leaned  over  when  I 
was  reading,  to  listen,  and  learn  one  sentence  to  carry 
with  her  to  the  factory ;  for,  she  says,  '  At  home,  when  all 
seems  so  noisy,  poor  Jim  doing  the  work,  I  see  so  many 
things  to  do,  I  must  leave  undone,  that  I  get  worried.     I 


32  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

kneel  down  and  can't  think;  but  at  the  factory  I  forget  it, 
and  I  think  and  pray.  I  am  all  alone  then,  you  know,  and 
God  is  near,  and  I  pray  so  hard,  and  wish  I  could  only 
read  the  Bible.' 

"Another,  when  I  remarked  what  happiness  it  was  to 
have  her  husband  a  Christian,  said,  'Oh,  yes,  I  could  sing 
any  time,  it  is  such  joy  to  be  this  way,  all  changed.' 

''Are  these  things  not  evidences  of  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  in  these  hearts?  Would  they  thus/zr^-i-  to  the  foun- 
tain if  they  did  not  thirst  ?  They  may  come  into  the  fold, 
poor  ignorant  wanderers,  but  they  know  enough  to  realize 
they  need  the  shepherd's  care,  they  know  enough  to  feel 
the  need  of  the  pasture  to  keep  them  strong,  the  fresh, 
living  water  to  revive  their  drooping  souls.  I  think  it  will 
not  be  asked  by  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  whether  they  un- 
derstood all  the  forms  of  our  beautiful  Church,  all  the 
doctrines  taught  in  the  Prayer-Book  before  or  even  after 
they  cast  themselves  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  and  trusted 
entirely  in  the  all-cleansing  blood  for  their  souls'  salvation. 
I  find  it  very  easy  to  teach  them  these  things,  and  do  it  as 
much,  as  rapidly,  and  as  perfectly  as  opportunity  will  permit. 

"The  other  error  is  the  popular  opinion  that  these  people 
come  for  what  they  get,  and  are  injured  by  the  assistance 
rendered  them.  In  my  view,  in  our  anxiety  to  avoid  this 
charge,  we  have  not  assisted  them  enough.  I  often  long 
for  means  to  relieve  where  I  know  it  would  do  good  to  the 
body  and  soul.  I  think  harm  may  be  done  either  by  doing 
too  little  or  too  much.  I  would  not  encourage  pauperism, 
but  I  cannot  teach  calmly,  when  I  see  these  children  of 
toil  struggling  against  the  great  weight  which  poverty, 
sickness,  pain,  and  anxiety  hang  about  their  necks.  I 
believe  it  easy  for  a  discerning  mind  to  draw  the  line  and 
be  able  to  do  a  great  deal  for  Christ's  poor,  Christ's  de- 
graded, without  making  them  dependent.  We  have  been 
so  careful  not  to  harm  our  poor  by  doing  much  for  them, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  33 

that  I  have  thought  of  late  the  engine  might  make  too  many 
revolutions,  and  the  balance-wheel  fly  in  pieces.  We  might 
make  the  tension  too  great  and  snap  the  thread,  and  mar 
the  beauty  of  our  work. 

"This  is  only  my  opinion  formed  from  observation.  I 
may  be  wrong,  but  when,  to-day,  I  took  poor  Betty  D. 
five  dollars,  the  gift  of  our  pastor,  and  gave  it  to  her, 
she  said,  'I  am  grateful,  and  need  it,  but  I  can  hardly  take 
it;  it  sits  hard  on  Jim  to  be  helped;  we  would  rather  do 
without  anything  possible  than  take  anything.' 

"  This  is  my  last  month's  work  with  these  people.  It  is 
with  a  sad  heart  I  find  all  must  be  resigned  ;  circumstances 
maTce  it  imperative.  It  is  the  very  joy  of  my  life  to  be 
engaged  in  this  work,  and  to  part  with  these,  my  spiritual 
children,  makes  me  feel  as  though  the  shades  of  death  had 
gathered  about  me.  I  almost  broke  down  to-day  when 
Betty  said,  '  I  heard  you  would  leave  us ;  oh,  do  not  go  ! 
Jim  says  you  have  done  more  good  to  him  than  any  one  in 
the  world ;  he  would  not  know  what  to  do  if  you  leave 
him  ;  he  watches  so  for  your  coming.'  I  choked  down  the 
rising  grief,  tried  to  feel  that  God  knew  best,  and  cheered 
her  by  saying,  'I  had  not  gone  yet.' 

''Wherever  I  may  be,  you  and  your  good  work  shall  not 
be  forgotten.  Often  my  heart  will  go  back,  and  in  imagi- 
nation I  shall  walk  through  Liberty  Street,  that  garden  filled 
with  plants  (once  overgrown  with  weeds),  lifting  their 
heads  towards  the  sun ;  catching  the  dewdrops  of  the 
Spirit  —  growing  in  beauty — which  I  hope  to  see  bloom  in 
the  garden  of  eternity.  May  God  have  them  ever  in  his 
keeping,  shall  be  my  prayer !" 


34 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 


THE    SOCIAL   ELEMENT  A  DIVINE    POWER. 

The  organization  of  a  parish  may  be  complete,  and  the 
personal  ministration  of  some  of  its  members  may  give 
evidence  of  zeal,  yet  it  will  lack  true  Christian  unity,  and 
fail  in  true  Christian  efficiency,  until  communicants  who 
are  in  good  social  position  learn  to  feel  and  to  act  like  the 
prodigal's/^^^^r,  rather  than  like  his  elder  brother.  En- 
vious feelings,  generated  by  the  unequal  distribution  of 
wealth  and  of  other  social  advantages,  are  allayed  by 
Christianity  when  the  rich  and  the  cultivated  manifest  an 
active  spiritual  interest  in  their  less  favored  brethren.  So- 
cial distinctions  are  never  disturbed  by  these  voluntary 
sacrifices  of  personal  comfort  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of 
others ;  indeed,  an  instinctive  reverence  for  Christian  vir- 
tue adds  to  their  power.  In  the  world,  the  distinctions  of 
society  must  be  strongly  marked  ;  but  surely  the  Church  is 
bound  to  follow  the  example  and  instruction  of  her  Lord 
and  his  Apostles,  by  making  adequate  provision  for  the 
social  yearnings  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men. 

Efforts  to  socialize  working  people  by  drawing  them 
from  their  cottages,  or  from  those  dens  of  iniquity  called 
**  tenement-houses,"  often  end  in  bitter  disappointment, 
owing  to  the  too  free  use  of  money  and  clothing  as  social- 
izing agencies,  instead  of  relying  mainly  on  the  divine 
power  that  issues  from  a  genial,  sympathizing  Christian 
heart.  The  sordid,  indolent,  and  dissolute  are  readily 
brought  by  temporal  lures  to  social  meetings  in  the  Church, 
and  some  are  no  doubt  benefited ;  but  it  is  to  be  feared 
that  in  many  persons  so  gathered  in,  self-deception  and 
hypocrisy  are  increased,  and  it  is  known  that  in  such  cases 
many  of  the  industrious  and  virtuous  working  people  refuse 
to  attend,  lest  sordid  motives  should  be  attributed  to  them. 
If  the  Church,  the  Bride  of  Christ,  really  believes  that  she 
has  a  genial,  sympathizing  heart,  and  that  its  free  use  by 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  35 

people  as  well  as  by  minister  is  needful  to  enable  her  to 
countervail  the  fearful  work  of  the  devil,  satanic  manifesta- 
tions should  only  the  more  thoroughly  stir  her  up  to  good 
works. 

As  few  male  communicants  in  good  position  seem  will- 
ing to  give  out  the  socializing  power  which  God  has  in- 
trusted to  them  for  the  benefit  of  persons  less  highly  favored, 
it  will  be  well  to  commence  this  great  work  by  employing 
godly  women  ;  and  not  a  few  of  these  are  now  evidently 
incited  to  this  duty  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Women  of  the 
highest  qualifications  usually  have  much  native  diffidence, 
but  they  may  begin  by  a  visit  to  some  invalid  or  ignorant 
person  designated  by  the  minister,  and  they  will  gradually 
but  surely  learn  to  use  their  spiritual  and  social  powers 
advantageously  to  the  Church. 

In  London,  the  socializing  powers  of  Christian  women 
have  been  so  freely  employed,  that  mainly  through  their 
influence  large  numbers  of  working  people  have  been 
brought  into  a  living  connection  with  the  Church.  In 
such  parishes  special  services  are  provided,  and  the  Holy 
Communion  is  administered  early  in  the  morning,  at  noon, 
and  in  the  evening,  in  order  that  the  persons  poorly  clothed, 
or  those  who  have  engagements  at  the  usual  hour,  may  par- 
ticipate in  the  sacred  feast.  In  England,  the  minister  has 
far  greater  difficulty  in  training  his  workers  than  is  experi- 
enced in  this  country,  because  there  persons  in  good  social 
position  very  rarely  attend  a  Sunday-school  or  Bible-class. 
In  America  the  most  cultivated  have  very  generally  been 
either  pupils  or  teachers,  and  are  therefore  better  prepared 
to  enter  upon  aggressive  missionary  work.  A  practical 
female  diaconate  can  at  once  be  created  by  every  parish 
minister,  and  where  this  agency  has  been  tested  judiciously 
and  perseveringly,  its  success  has  been  very  great. 

A  series  of  papers  bearing  on  woman's  work  was  col- 
lected for  publication  in  another  form,  but  since  there  is 


35  IVOAIEN'  HELPERS  I.V  THE    CHURCH, 

an  increasing  desire  through  the  Church  to  extend  the 
sphere  of  woman's  usefuhiess,  it  has  been  thought  best  to 
publish  these  articles  in  the  Spirit  of  Missions,  whose 
rapidly-increasing  circulation  gives  evidence  that  it  is  widely 
read  and  appreciated. 

The  following  paper  contains  suggestions  of  great  value, 
indicating  a  kind  of  parish  work,  in  which  Christian  women 
may  easily  and  efficiently  employ  their  social  powers.  Where 
even  one  judicious,  earnest  Christian  woman  can  be  induced 
to  co-operate  with  her  minister  in  visiting,  teaching,  and 
praying  with  her  neglected  sisters,  proof  abundant  will  be 
found  that  the  social  element  is  indeed  a  divine  power. 

W. 

"You  ask  me  to  give  you  some  hints  as  to  the  best 
method  of  commencing  and  conducting  a  mothers'  meet- 
ing. 

''I  take  it  for  granted  that  you  are  familiar  with  the 
locality  in  which  you  purpose  to  work  ;  if  so,  you  can 
readily  select  from  among  the  mothers  of  the  Sunday-school 
children,  some  three  or  four  of  the  more  respectable  class, 
who  will  form  a  nucleus  for  your  association.  At  first  you 
will  need  no  assistance,  for  you  should  begin  with  few 
members,  and  you  ought  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  these  before  adding  to  the  number.  Do  you  ask  how, 
with  your  little  experience,  you  can  conduct  such  a  work 
by  yourself?  I  reply,  that  a  clear,  practical  head,  and  a 
sympathizing  heart,  with  earnest  love  to  the  Saviour  and 
the  souls  for  which  He  died,  are  what  you  most  need,  for 
experience  will  be  gained  as  you  go  on.  Of  course,  the 
mothers'  meeting  is  to  be  distinctively  a  Church  work,  so 
that  you  will  have  the  sanction  and  counsel  and  co-opera- 
tion of  your  rector, 

'^  Imagine  yourself,  then,  on  the  appointed  evening,  in 
a  pleasantly-heated  and  brightly-lighted  room,  the  centre 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  37 

of  a  little  group  of  mothers.  Kindly  sympathy,  real  in- 
terest (they  can  readily  detect  the  counterfeit),  will  make 
them  feel  that  they  are  with  a  friend  who  wishes  to  promote 
their  happiness.  A  little  pleasant  chat  on  their  home 
affairs,  as  they  sit  about  you  with  their  work,  or  it  may 
be  their  babies,  will  give  you  an  acquaintance  with  the 
condition  of  each  family,  and  this  may  occupy  an  hour. 
You  will  then  bring  out  Bibles  and  Prayer-Books,  sing  a 
hymn,  read  a  scripture  narrative,  or  some  striking  portion 
of  another  character,  talk  familiarly  with  them  about  it, 
and  close  with  prayer. 

"You  will  now  but  have  commenced  the  work,  for  these 
weekly  meetings,  are  only  a  small  part  of  it,  although  of 
great  value  in  drawing  out  neglected  ones,  and  binding 
them  socially  to  the  Church.  These  women  must  be  faith- 
fully visited  in  their  homes,  read  to,  talked  to,  prayed  with 
individually,  and  closely  followed  up,  if  the  greatest  spirit- 
ual influence  is  sought  for.  Your  visit  will  soon  be  looked  for 
as  the  event  of  the  week.  '  I  began  to  think  you  were  never 
coming;'  'I  felt  so  down  yesterday,  and  if  you  had  but 
come  for  five  minutes,  you  would  have  cheered  me  up,  and 
done  me  good  for  the  rest  of  the  day.'  Such  will  be  the 
welcomes  you  will  receive. 

*'As  the  number  increases,  you  must  have  help;  and 
here  I  would  urge  you  to  select,  when  possible,  not  only 
earnest  Christians,  but  women  of  education  and  refinement. 
It  raises  the  poor  in  their  own  esteem,  and  increases  their 
self-respect,  to  feel  that  they  are  cared  for  by  ladies.  In 
regard  to  the  better  classes,  such  as  the  American  working- 
man  and  his  family,  people  seem  to  feel  that  they  would 
resent  approaches  of  this  sort  as  an  interference.  Such  has 
not  been  my  experience.  Let  them  see  that  you  are  actu- 
ated by  pure  motives ;  that  you  go  to  their  houses,  not  as  a 
spy  or  a  patroness,  but  as  a  friend,  and  you  will  be  wel- 
comed by  them  as  warmly  as  by  the  dependent  poor.    Their 

4 


^S  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

trials  are  of  another  kind,  perhaps,  but  they  have  human 
hearts  which  need  the  Christian  sympathy  you  can  give,  and 
they  will  soon  find  it  almost  a  necessity  to  them. 

''While  you  assign  to  your  assistants  the  immediate  care 
of  certain  families,  you  will  retain  the  supervision  of  the 
whole,  visiting  all  at  intervals,  and  some  more  frequently, 
as  you  learn  from  the  reports  of  your  committee  that  cir- 
cumstances render  a  call  important. 

"You  will  probably  find  some  among  your  mothers  who 
cannot  read  and  write  ;  for  these  you  will  certainly  be  able 
to  find  teachers  among  the  younger  members  of  the  parish, 
who  may  also,  with  propriety,  under  the  direction  of  an 
older  lady,  visit  them  statedly,  and  read  to  them.  Another 
benefit  to  be  derived  from  such  ministrations,  by  the  young, 
is  that  they  will  thus  be  gaining  some  experience,  and  at 
least  the  habit  of  going  among  the  poor,  which  will  fit  them, 
in  their  turn,  to  become  members  of  your  committee. 

"Various  branches  of  industry  may  be  attended  to  with 
profit  in  the  mothers'  meeting, — knitting  stockings,  cut- 
ting out  and  fitting  dresses,  tailoring,  and  even  plain  sewing, 
in  which  many  mothers  are  lamentably  deficient,  because 
many  of  them  have  worked  in  factories,  or  been  put  out  to 
service  while  yet  children,  so  that  their  domestic  education 
has  been  sadly  neglected. 

"You  ask  if  I  think  a  clothing  club  an  essential  in  these 
associations.  By  no  means  an  essential,  but  an  important 
adjunct,  after  your  meeting  is  fully  established,  always  re- 
membering that  a  clothing  club  should  be  conducted  on 
the  principle  of  every  woman  paying  the  full  value  for  all 
the  material  she  receives.  If  you  sell  clothing  at  half-price, 
you  seem  to  hold  out  this  as  an  inducement  to  attend  the 
meeting;  and  thus  help  to  perpetuate  a  spirit  of  depend- 
ence, while  the  object  is  rather  to  teach  them  the  impor- 
tance of  saving  small  sums,  with  which  they  can  eventually 
purchase,  for  themselves,  real  comforts.    In  the  parish  with 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  39 

which  our  meeting  is  connected,  there  has  been  no  Dorcas 
Society  for  three  years,  in  consequence  of  our  having  formed 
a  clothing  club. 

''As  to  the  religious  services,  your  rector  will  only  be  too 
glad  to  delegate  to  you  that  which  a  woman  can  do  so  well 
for  women.  There  are  many  points  which  go  to  make  up 
practical  religion  upon  which  these  women  need  instruc- 
tion,— their  duties  as  wives  and  mothers,  even  to  the  mi- 
nutest details  of  care  of  their  homes  and  children,  and 
hints  as  to  nursing, — over  and  above  the  sympathetic,  heart- 
to-heart  talk  about  their  condition  as  sinners,  their  many 
temptations  and  weaknesses,  and  the  overflowing  love  of 
Christ  to  their  souls;  and  upon  these  points  only  a  woman 
who  has  had  like  experiences  can  well  expatiate. 

"Some  arrangement  for  giving  efficient  help  in  pro- 
tracted sickness,  providing  medicines  and  nurses,  with 
loans  of  bedding  and  personal  clothing,  is  an  all-important 
aid.  This  takes  money?  Not  nearly  as  much  as  is  re- 
quired for  a  Dorcas  Society ;  and  where  is  the  parish  in 
which  this,  or  a  sewing  society  of  some  sort,  does  not 
exist  ? 

"  We  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that  the  end  for  which  all 
our  labors  are  performed,  is  to  bring  our  mothers  to  the 
Saviour  of  sinners,  and,  through  these  social  organizations, 
into  a  cordial,  loving  connection  with  the  Church  which 
He  purchased  with  his  own  blood.  We  mothers  well  know 
what  it  is  to  pass  nights  of  watching  with  our  little  ones, 
and  the  weariness  of  mind  that  ensues  from  constant  con- 
tact with  the  hourly  wants,  the  pettishness,  the  unceasing 
restlessness  of  our  children.  What  a  boon  is  the  inter- 
ruption of  a  friendly  visit !  How  delightfully  tranquil  are 
our  evenings  when  these  little  ones  are  tucked  in  for  the 
night,  and  we  can  leave  them  trustingly  to  the  care  of  a 
faithful  nurse !  But  these  poor  mothers  have  no  such  relax- 
ation.    Superadded  to  the  care  of  their  children,  is  the 


40  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

cleansing  of  the  house,  the  washing,  cooking,  mending,  and 
making,  and  the  constant  strain  to  make  both  ends  meet. 
To  such  what  a  blessing  is  the  mothers'  meeting,  viewed 
only  in  its  social  aspect !  I  have  seen  women,  worn  out 
with  care  and  labor,  walk  a  mile  to  have  an  hour  of  such 
social  enjoyment.  They  say,  '■  It  rests  me,  body  and  mind, 
to  go  to  mothers'  meeting.  The  week  does  not  seem  the 
same  when  I  am  kept  away.'  The  meeting  with  an  old 
friend  or  neighbor,  the  comparing  their  daily  experiences, 
the  intercourse  with  the  lady  visitor  (who,  as  a  rule,  should 
never  be  absent  from  these  meetings), — what  a  break  in  the 
daily  routine  of  their  monotonous  lives  !  Again,  the  in- 
fluence is  elevating,  for  there  are  grades  in  their  social  life, 
and  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  see,  as  I  have  seen,  the  wife  of 
a  respectable  mechanic  take  her  sewing  and  sit  beside  one 
of  humbler  rank,  not  because  she  knew  her,  for  she  did 
not,  but,  '  Poor  thing,  she  ought  to  have  better  compan- 
ions than  she  has.' 

''There  is  one  more  point  connected  with  the  social 
aspect  of  our  work  to  which  it  may  be  well  to  refer  here, 
viz.,  the  importance  of  the  lady  visitors  worshipifig  with  those 
whom  they  visit.  I  make  this  remark  especially  in  reference 
to  mission  chapels,  the  workers  in  which  usually  worship  in 
the  parish  church.  You  ask  a  man  to  go  to  church  ;  he 
goes,  but  does  not  find  his  friends  there  ;  sees  no  one,  per- 
haps, whom  he  knows;  is  a  stranger  to  the  services,  and 
cannot  use  a  Prayer-Book,  if  one,  by  chance,  is  offered 
him,  and  probably  never  goes  again.  Do  you  wonder  at 
it  ?  Is  there  any  place  more  lonely  than  a  strange  church, 
even  to  us  who  value  the  ministrations  of  the  gospel  for 
the  gospel's  sake?  How  cold  and  cheerless  to  go  in  and 
out  and  never  receive  a  welcoming  smile,  or  a  cordial  grasp 
of  the  hand  !  What  must  it  be,  then,  to  one  who  goes  to 
church  for  the  first  time  (as  is  often  the  case),  simply  to 
gratify  a  person  who  has  shown  some  kindness,  or,  as  I 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  41 

have  heard  scores  say,  '  Because  she  showed  so  much  in- 
terest in  me,  and  tried  so  hard  to  get  me  there!'  *  The 
rich  and  the  poor  meet  together' — where  so  appropriately 
as  in  the  house  of  Him  who  is  ^  the  maker  of  them  all'  ? 
The  social  feeling  in  our  nature  must  be  met.  Do  I  hear 
it  said,  '  Higher  motives  should  be  appealed  to;'  'People 
should  go  to  church  from  a  sense  of  duty'  ?  How  about 
those  who  do  not  feel  it  as  a  duty,  and  who  have  yet  to 
learn  to  value  it  as  a  privilege  ?  Let  them  go  to  gratify  a 
friend,  and,  if  they  find  a  cordial  home  feeling  there,  they 
will  go  again,  because  they  are  beginning  to  feel  interested, 
and  will  one  day  love  it  for  its  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake 
of  the  Saviour  whom  they  have  thus  learned  to  love. 

''  Our  committee  meets  once  a  month,  when  each  lady 
presents  her  report  of  visits  made,  new  families  brought  to 
her  notice,  children  and  adults  gathered  into  Sunday-schools 
and  Bible-classes,  and  also  occasionally  gives  a  narrative  of 
interesting  facts  connected  with  her  visiting.  This  affords 
an  opportunity  for  interchange  of  sentiments,  for  older  and 
more  experienced  visitors  to  give  hints  to  younger  ones,  for 
submitting  to  the  Principal,  matters  in  which  advice  is 
needed,  and  for  uniting  in  prayer  for  God's  blessing  on  the 
work. 

"In  conclusion,  I  will  give  you  some  extracts  from  these 
reports  which  will  illustrate  the  principles  on  which  our 
work  is  conducted,  and  afford  encouragement  to  those  who 
desire  to  engage  in  similar  Christianizing  and  socializing 
agencies. 

"One  lady  writes:  'Have  just  returned  from  a  few 
visits  that  have  given  me  much  comfort.  How  good  is  my 
Father  so  signally  to  bless  such  a  feeble  instrumentality  as 
mine  !  In  one  cheerless  home  I  was  greeted  with  delight 
by  four  little  children.  Their  mother  was  out,  so  they 
must  do  the  honors  of  their  humble  home.  The  youngest, 
a  little  girl  of  about  two  years,  with  an  arch  expression. 


42      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

looks  in  my  face  and  lisps,  *'  I  love  you."  The  other  three 
expressed  like  affection,  asked  me  to  come  soon  again  and 
shouted  "good-by"  to  me  until  I  was  out  of  sight. 

"'The  next  visit  was  to  a  young  mother,  whose  home 
was  dirty  and  comfortless.  She  has  but  recently  joined 
our  meeting,  so  I  must  not  venture  to  speak  of  her  untidy 
house  and  children.  We  must  become  better  acquainted.  I 
must  gain  her  affection,  and  then  show  her  her  duty.   I  had 

not  been  seated  long  when  she  said,  *'I  think,  Mrs.  , 

your  visits  to  Mrs.  J.  have  done  her  good.  She  has  not 
drank  anything  since  you  have  visited  her.  She  seems  a 
much  better  woman."  I  felt  encouraged  to  hear  this,  and 
went,  after  leaving  there,  to  see  Mrs.  J.  I  found  her  read- 
ing her  Bible.  She  grasped  my  hand  with  evident  signs  of 
pleasure,  wiped  off  the  best  chair  for  me,  and  requested  me 
to  be  seated,  saying,  "  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you  !  your  visits 
do  me  a  world  of  good,  ma'am.  I  know  now  that  God  has 
not  forsaken  me.  I  know  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the 
world  to  save  sinners.  I  have  comfort  and  peace  now." 
I  sat  some  time  with  her,  having  a  most  interesting  visit. 
As  I  rose  to  leave  she  followed  me  to  the  door,  and  her 
last  words  were,  "Please,  ma'am,  come  soon  again  to  see 
me  !     When  will  you  come?" 

"'I  cannot  close  my  report  without  writing  something 

very  astounding.     Mr. expects,  and  almost  promised, 

to  meet  me  at  church  next  Sunday  !  His  wife  also  prom- 
ised to  have  a  clean  shirt  ready  for  him.  No  one  can  ap- 
preciate this  but  myself.  I  can  only  say  that  never  since  I 
commenced  this  work  have  I  seen  a  couple  so  vile,  so 
hardened,  so  wretchedly  lost  to  all  shame,  without  any 
hope.  Often  have  I  been  told  in  that  house  that  they  knew 
they  were  going  to  hell.  The  man  himself  has  treated  me 
so  rudely  I  have  feared  to  enter  his  house.  Only  when  I 
thought  of  the  work  to  be  done  for  Christ  could  I  gain 
courage  to  go.     Now,  when  I  go,  his  eyes  have  filled  with 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  43 

tears  when  he  has  told  me  he  felt  the  interest  I  took  in  him. 
He  urges  me  to  stay, — not  to  make  a  short  visit.  She, 
poor  woman,  seems  to  human  eyes  beyond  all  hope,  but 
the  Holy  Spirit    can  touch  even  this  heart. 

'''I  have  never,  I  believe,  in  any  other  house,  been 
treated  unhandsomely.  I  am  always  greeted  with  kindness, 
and  this  makes  the  way  so  easy  to  speak  of  Jesus.  This 
is  a  blessed  work,  and  one  which  well  repays  us.  It  is  such 
a  happy  hour  for  us,  when,  for  the  first  time,  we  see  our 
women  kneeling  together  at  the  Table  of  the  Lord.  Sweet 
are  our  visions  of  future  glory  for  those  who,  a  short  time 
before,  knew  not  the  Saviour.' 

''Another  writes  :  'At  our  last  meeting  you  spoke  to  us 
of  the  apparent  falling  off  in  the  attendance  of  our  women, 
and  desired  us  to  look  into  and  ascertain  the  causes.  In 
my  work  this  month  I  have  diligently  searched  out  the 
reason  for  the  seeming  want  of  interest  among  those  in  my 
care,  hoping  it  might  be  a  help  and  satisfaction  for  you  to 
know  as  far  as  I  could  gather. 

"  '  Some  of  them  have  increased  family  relations.  One 
woman,  who  has  two  children,  only  eighteen  months  apart, 
with  a  husband  who  will  not  be  troubled  with  his  children, 
tells  me  she  longs  to  come  and  misses  it  so  much,  it  used 
to  be  such  a  break  in  her  cares,  but  her  last  baby  is  delicate 
and  very  troublesome.  I  asked  her  about  her  spiritual 
state  ;  if  she  could  still  cling  to  the  promises,  being  thus 
debarred  from  the  public  means  of  grace.  She  replied  that 
she  sometimes  found  it  hard  to  get  over  her  difficulties,  and 
thought  she  did  not  bear  them  as  well  as  formerly,  but  she 
endeavored  to  get  to  the  Communion  as  often  as  possible, 
and  that  helped  her  not  to  get  too  dark, 

"'With  another  woman  I  found  the  "little  stranger" 
had  confined  her  at  home,  but  she  said,  "I  will  not  lose  my 
interest,  so  long  as  you  talk  so  to  me  ;  your  visits  are  such  a 
help  to  me."     I  found  her  earnestly  instructing  her  little 


44      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

children  in  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  Jesus.  This  made 
me  satisfied  with  her,  though  she  seemed  to  feel  she  was 
very  much  like  the  lamb  I  had  told  her  of,  that  had  been 
enticed  from  the  fold  by  the  pleasant  hills  beyond  the 
pasture-ground,  fearing  she  took  too  much  pleasure  in 
beino^  with  her  children.  I  looked  at  her  in  admiration 
as  I  thought  of  some  mothers  in  a  different  walk  in  life  who 
forget  this  sacred  obligation  in  the  haunts  of  pleasure. 
She  said  mothers'  meeting  had  been  a  blessing  to  her,  and 
she  missed  it  now.  No  Thursday  evening  passed  over 
without  regrets  that  she  could  not  leave  her  charge,  except 
when  Charley  would  stay  at  home. 

'''One  old  woman  had  given  up  to  great  despondency 
consequent  upon  the  death  of  her  husband, — a  Christian 
woman,  but  she  had  let  her  affliction  harden  her.  She 
promised  to  pray  against  it. 

'"In  some  I  find  indifference.  One,  who  had  been  ad- 
dicted to  drinking,  I  find  has  given  way  somewhat,  and 
deadness  seems  to  have  grown  over  the  house.  Perhaps 
they  have  not  been  as  faithfully  watched  over  and  built  up 
as  they  should  have  been.  Several  of  my  women  told  me 
they  had  heard  when  I  left  home  for  my  health,  that  I  had 
given  up  visiting  entirely,  and  not  seeing  me  so  frequently 
this  fall  as  they  used  to,  they  had  felt  the  loss  of  my  visits, 
and  Thursday  evening  did  not  seem  the  same  when  I  was 
not  there.  This  I  believe  to  be  the  most  important  knowl- 
edge I  have  gained  in  my  investigation.  These  women 
depend  greatly  upon  the  constant  contact  and  personal  in- 
terest they  have  in  the  lady  who  visits  them.  Though  they 
are  all  devoted  to  the  Principal,  yet  they  seem  to  miss  their 
habitual  visitor,  and  as  they  remarked,  Thursday  evening 
was  not  the  same  when  I  was  not  there.  This  is  very 
natural,  if  w^e  look  into  our  relations  with  these  people. 
For  instance,  if  I  have  been  at  the  house  of  a  woman,  who 
is  in  trouble,  either  spiritually  or  otherwise,  and  she  has  un- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  45 

burdened  her  heart  to  me,  and  God  has  enabled  me  to  com- 
fort her,  she  naturally  yearns  to  see  me  again.  This  is 
human.  She  comes  on  Thursday  evening,  her  heart  per- 
haps softened,  ready  to  be  guided  or  comforted.  To  her 
disappointment  she  does  not  find  me,  and  before  she  may 
see  me  again  the  good  seed  may  be  rooted  up.  To  keep 
up  the  interest  of  these  people,  with  surroundings  so  foreign 
to  a  higher  life,  our  instruction  must  be  *'  line  upon  line, 
precept  upon  precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a  little."  I 
asked  one  woman,  "Do  you  not  think  so-and-so  is  im- 
pressed, and  likely  to  feel  a  deep  interest  ?"  ''  Yes,  if  you 
follow  it  up."  So  our  labor  must  be  systematic  and  unin- 
terrupted. 

"  '  I  observe  an  increased  interest  among  the  Christians 
under  my  care,  which  is  an  evidence,  I  think,  that  God  is 
with  us, — an  interest  not  only  in  themselves,  but  also  in 
others,  and  an  anxiety  to  do  good  and  to  see  souls  coming 
to  the  truth.  There  is  one  among  them  whom  1  call  *'  My 
Missionary."  She  rouses  all  around  her  on  Thursday 
evening ;  stops  for  them,  and  brings  them  to  the  meeting. 
She  is  a  real  warm-hearted  Christian.  I  find  her  quite  a 
comfort,  and  I  dare  say  there  are  many  such  among  our 
people,  if  we  would  try  and  draw  them  out.'  " 


"LIGHT    IN    THEIR    DWELLINGS." 

The  Church  of  England  has  for  centuries  emitted  pure 
gospel  light,  yet  many  of  the  homes  of  her  working  people 
are  still  in  heathen  darkness.  The  Archbishop  of  York 
(at  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  Diocesan  Home  Mission) 
stated  that  "in  one  district  of  London,  not  one  person  in 


46  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

one  hundred  attends  a  place  of  worship ;  and  that  drunk- 
enness, brawling,  blasphemy,  and  other  sins  are  fearfully 
prevalent." 

Published  statistics  state  that  in  many  cities  and  rural 
districts  in  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  and  in  the  United 
States,  dissoluteness  and  crime  are  on  the  increase. 

Temporizing  expedients  may  stay  the  tide  of  corruption, 
but  all  human  barriers  must  eventually  give  way,  and 
then  for  a  season  the  flood  will  become  irresistible.  Dis- 
solute parents  may  be  incarcerated,  and  their  children 
taken  from  them  forcibly,  or  they  may  be  encouraged  to 
hand  to  the  care  of  strangers,  children  whom  God  has 
committed  to  them;  but  the  family  bond  is  thus  severed, 
although  it  is  evidently  God's  will  that  it  should  be 
strengthened. 

After  a  series  of  costly  and  often  injurious  experiments, 
it  has  now  become  apparent  to  intelligent  Christians  that 
working  people  must  have  ^^  light  tJi  their  dwellings, ^^  for 
the  divine  power  of  the  family  organization  is  the  most  im- 
portant agency  of  the  Christian  Church. 

On  the  occasion  already  referred  to,  the  Archbishop  of 
York  appealed  thus  to  his  hearers : 

''  Who  are  these  people?  They  are  your  brothers  and 
sisters  ;  the  very  people  who  are  laboring  for  you,  and  who 
assist  in  ministering  to  your  luxury.  You  live  in  a  splendid 
temple.  These  are  the  foundation  stones  laid  that  your 
palace  may  stand  upon  them.  They  are  a  class,  I  say, 
that  belongs  to  you  most  essentially.  A  hundred  years 
ago  people  used  to  say,  ^  There  are  some  social  problems 
which  it  is  impossible  to  solve ;  wicked  people  will  be 
wicked;  and  you  cannot  get  at  the  poor  people  at  all.' 
But  the  moment  that  some  measure  of  success  has  attended 
any  institution  of  this  kind,  all  that  comfortable  philosophy 
crumbles  and  vanishes.  They  are  of  the  same  flesh  and 
blood  as  we  are.     If  you  take  the  eternal  gospel,  that  never 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


47 


loses  its  power,  and  apply  that  instrument  to  one  of  these 
consciences,  the  effect  will  be  the  same  as  it  has  been  with 
any  of  you ;  it  will  be  to  make  them  know  that  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  sin  ;  that  there  exists  a  God,  and  that  they  may 
not  live  apart  from  Him.  I  know  that,  the  Holy  Spirit 
helping  your  labors,  you  may  rouse  in  them  the  same  good- 
ness and  gentleness,  the  same  peace,  joy,  long-suffering, 
which  are  the  graces  of  the  Christian  character." 

In  referring  to  mothers'  meetings  as  a  means  of  Chris- 
tianizing such  homes  and  families,  the  Archbishop  further 
showed  that  gross  darkness  was  in  their  households ;  for  in 
one  such  organization,  composed  of  seventy  members,  half 
were  unmarried,  although  living  with  men  and  having 
children. 

Ladies  who  have  the  oversight  of  several  mothers'  meet- 
ings in  London,  during  a  recent  visit  to  this  country,  gave 
a  hopeful  picture  of  the  influence  of  these  associations  in 
dispelling  heathen  darkness  by  bringing  light  and  life  to 
the  homes  of  working  people,  and  even  into  the  dens  of 
infamy.  These  holy  women  do  not  argue  or  reprove ; 
they  read  and  tell  of  Jesus,  and  of  his  salvation  so  freely 
offered ;  and  often  feel  deeply  censurable  for  not  having 
sooner  communicated  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  The 
heart  of  one  poor  degraded  woman  was  melted  when  she 
first  heard  her  visitor  read  from  God's  book, — '^They  spit 
upon  Him."  Even  with  her  deep  degradation,  she  in- 
stinctively shrank  from  the  disgrace  that  divine  love  de- 
lighted to  bear  for  her  sake. 

The  effect  of  sunlight  on  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  hardly 
too  strong  an  illustration  of  the  influence  produced  on  the 
family  relation  by  the  visits  of  experienced  ladies  who  pos- 
sess intelligence  and  Christian  sympathy. 

To  aid  beginners,  a  visitor  of  a  successful  mothers'  meet- 
ing has  consented  to  the  publication  of  the  following 
extracts  from  her  private  diary  :  W. 


48  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

September,  1865. 

M :   I  have  at  your  desire  been  reading  the  brief 

notes  taken  by  me  more  than  five  years  ago,  and  comparing 
the  life  of  some  of  those  people  in  the  time  of  their  igno- 
rance of  the  truth,  with  the  present.  ''Time  is  the  sure 
test  of  all  things."  The  mind  is  naturally  doubtful  about 
experiments,  and  it  may  be  some  are  still  skeptical  in  re- 
gard to  God's  process  of  awakening  and  warming  inanimate 
souls  into  life  by  the  contact  of  other  human  hearts  made 
tender  and  sympathetic  by  the  power  of  redeeming  love. 
Living,  breathing  monuments  of  the  permanency  of  our 
work  rise  up  before  me  as  I  peruse  these  old  pages,  proving 
beyond  all  doubt  that  God  is  with  us.  The  Spirit,  making 
use  of  the  weak  things  of  earth,  has  wrought  mighty  things. 
To  Him  be  all  the  glory  and  honor.  The  work  was  com- 
menced in  much  trembling  and  weakness,  and  with  humility 
and  gratitude  do  we  behold  the  desolate  places  made  glad  and 
the  wild  waste  places  now  blossoming  with  a  Saviour's  love. 

I  will  give  you  the  notes  as  they  were  originally  written 
in  my  private  book,  and  at  the  close,  a  brief  sequel. 

January  \st,  1861. — Received  a  notice  from  the  rector 
stating  that  I  had  been  appointed  one  of  the  committee  of 
the  mothers'  meeting. 

3^/. — Commenced  my  duties. 

\%th. — Received  from  the  principal  a  list  of  the  names 
of  the  women  whom  she  had  placed  under  my  charge,  to 
visit  regularly,  and  inquire  into  their  spiritual  and  temporal 
condition. 

\^th. — Made  my  first  visits, — eight.      Called  first  upon 

Mrs.  C z,  whom  I  found  comfortable.     Her  husband 

was  at  work,  sober  and  industrious.  A  pleasant,  healthy- 
looking  Englishwoman.  I  learned  from  her  that  she  had 
been  confirmed  in  her  native  country  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen. Coming  to  a  strange  country,  engrossed  in  family 
affairs,  and  not  feeling  at  home  in  her  own  church,  had 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  49 

gradually  become  careless  of  her  Christian  obligations,  and 
am  sorry  to  add,  still  feels  indifferent,  though  she  likes  very 
much  to  come  to  the  meetings. 

At  the  next  call,  found  one  of  the  mothers  (Mrs,  C w) 

with  a  sick  infant.  Seeing  two  other  children,  apparently 
under  four  years  of  age,  I  remarked,  "Are  these  children 

all  yours,  Mrs.  C w?"     She  replied  in  the  affirmative. 

The  house  was  close,  to  suffocation  ;  everything  betokened 
want  of  thrift  and  good  housewifery ;  both  the  mother 
and  the  children  were  untidy ;  everything  had  a  repulsive 
appearance  about  the  house.  Her  husband,  who  was  at 
home,  and  without  employment,  made  me  understand  he 
did  not  appreciate  my  visit  by  turning  his  back  upon  me, 
and  taking  no  notice  of  my  presence.  I  expressed  sorrow 
at  the  sickness  of  his  child,  when,  with  a  dry  "■yes,'"  he 
walked  out  of  the  room.  I  thought  to  myself,  my  friend, 
you  have  at  least  the  virtue  of  honesty  ;  that  is  a  good  point 
to  begin  with.  The  woman  informed  me  he  made  six  dol- 
lars per  week.  He  was  an  intemperate  man,  and  at  times 
abusive.  So  far  had  he  trodden  the  path  of  error  and  sin, 
that  he  was  sinking  deeply  in  the  black  gulf  of  infidelity, 
the  seeds  of  which  had  been  sown  by  an  infidel  lecturer  who 
had  passed  some  time  in  the  town,  leaving  his  impress  upon 
the  souls  of  many  of  the  ignorant  and  degraded.  This 
woman  I  found  very  ignorant,  and  from  her  manner  of  ad- 
dressing her  children,  I  judged  it  to  be  a  badly-regulated 
family.  She  seemed  slow  to  understand  the  gospel  truth, 
and  realized  little  her  responsibility  to  God.  I  thought 
she  seemed  anxious  to  be  taught.  From  early  childhood 
until  some  years  after  her  marriage  she  worked  in  a  factory. 
She  said  she  never  knew  what  it  was  to  stay  at  home  with 
her  children  until  after  she  came  to  this  country.  Hers 
had  been  a  life  of  few  opportunities. 

The  next  upon  my  list  for  the  day  was  Mrs.  N ,  a 

native  of  Rhode  Island.  Their  only  room  was  a  basement, 
c  5 


50      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

In  one  corner  stood  a  bed,  nicely  made  and  clean  ;  in 
another  a  table,  at  which  were  sitting  her  young  husband 
and  little  child,  eating  their  dinner,  which  appeared  to  be 
frugal  enough.  She  was  washing  for  a  person  at  whose 
store  they  obtained  groceries  upon  credit.  Her  husband 
had  been  without  employment  for  four  months,  had  formerly 
been  a  sailor,  was  temperate.  Their  room  was  cold  and 
cheerless,  with  few  articles  of  furniture,  but  all  clean.  She 
was  ignorant  almost  of  the  alphabet ;  this  her  husband  had 
been  trying  to  teach  her.  Her  manner  was  modest  and 
pleasant.  Their  religious  education  had  been  almost  en- 
tirely neglected.  The  years  of  her  childhood  had  been 
passed  in  hard  labor.  She  had  lost  her  father  when  very 
young,  and  was  placed  among  strangers.  With  a  mind 
naturally  tending  to  good,  she  had  been  much  impressed 
by  what  she  had  heard  at  the  '^mothers'  meeting."  ''She 
had  heard  so  much  about  Jesus  there,"  and  "guessed  it 
must  be  a  good  kind  of  thing  to  be  a  Christian." 

22d. — Made  four  visits  among  the  poor.  Found  but 
little  interest  shown  for  their  eternal  welfare.  One  woman, 
who  had  part  of  her  life  attended  an  Episcopal  church,  and 
for  many  years  had  gone  to  the  Methodist  meeting,  said 
she  had  learned  more  since  she  had  gone  to  the  mothers' 
meeting  than  she  had  ever  known  before.  Another  told 
me  she  had  almost  forgotten  how  to  pray;  had  neglected 
to  do  it  for  years.  It  made  her  think  of  her  mother  the 
first  night  she  was  at  the  mothers'  meeting,  and  the  tears 
would  come  to  her  eyes. 

Tpth. — Made  eleven  visits.  One  woman  I  am  very  m.uch 
interested  for.  A  pretty  Englishwoman,  not  very  tidy  in 
person,  and  a  very  dirty  house,  but  with  some  excuse,  hav- 
ing a  large  family  and  very  little  room.  She  was  born  of 
pious  parents,  and  was  a  Sunday-school  scholar  until  grown. 
Her  father  held  a  pew  in  the  Church  of  England  forty-five 
years.   His  last  words  to  her  were,  "  My  daughter,  wherever 


THEIR   SAYIiYGS  AND   DOINGS. 


51 


circumstances  in  life  place  you,  never  forget  you  are  a 
Christian,  or  to  go  to  church.  Remember  your  old  father 
standing  in  this  church,  and  beware  of  the  temptations  of 

the  world."    ''And  oh,  I  have  forgot  all  this,  Mrs. !" 

She  had  been  confirmed  at  the  age  of  seventeen ;  after- 
wards went  to  service  in  an  infidel  family ;  soon  began  to 
lose  her  interest  in  religion,  and  at  last  almost  to  forget  she 
had  taken  Christian  vows  upon  herself.  The  severe  trials 
she  was  called  upon  to  bear  in  her  married  life,  instead  of 
humbling  her,  made  her  rebellious  and  passionate  in  tem- 
per. Her  husband,  who  was  a  pious  young  man,  left  her 
to  come  to  this  country.  She  followed  him,  after  the  lapse 
of  three  years,  and,  to  her  great  sorrow,  found  him  most 
terribly  changed, — he  had  become  a  miserable  drunkard. 
She  had  a  wretched  life  for  five  years.  The  death  of  a  child 
and  severe  illness  of  her  husband  awakened  her  for  a  short 
time ;  but  after  a  little  these  good  impressions  passed  away. 
She  had  no  clothes  then  to  go  to  church  in,  and  was  thus 
deprived  of  the  public  means  of  grace.  So  she  continued 
until  induced  to  go  to  the  mothers*  meeting.  The  first 
prayer  she  heard  there  recalled  her  Sunday-school  teachings 
and  the  prayers  of  her  good  parents,  and  softened  her  heart. 
She  has  never  been  absent  since ;  she  feels  it  good  for  her 
to  be  there,  and  has  become  very  anxious  about  her  soul. 
Her  husband  has  refrained  from  intoxicating  drinks  for  four 
months.     She  feels  this  is  more  than  she  deserves. 

One  woman,  who  did  not  so  much  as  know  what  the 
Lord's  Supper  was,  and  lived  within  sound  of  the  church- 
bell,  said  she  "did  feel  good  at  mothers'  meetings, — she 
kind  of  forgot  her  troubles  there."  She  had  never  been 
taught  anything  about  the  Bible,  only  knew  what  she  heard 
occasionally. 

Another  said  she  supposed  it  was  right  to  be  a  Christian, 
but  she  did  not  know  how  she  could  be  one.  She  could 
not  hear  or  understand  all  the  preacher  said  when  she  did 


52  WOMExV  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

go  to  church,  which  was  not  often,  for  she  did  not  feel  at 
home  there.  She  would  like  her  children  to  be  good,  so 
she  sent  them  to  school  to  learn. 

\oth  and  nth  of  February. — Made  eleven  visits.  One 
of  my  women,  who  had  led  a  profligate  life,  was  concerned 
about  her  soul  ;  in  her  own  language,  was  "  afraid  of  God's 
anger  for  the  dreadful  life  she  had  led."  I  learn  from  her 
that  she  was  placed  in  the  House  of  Refuge  when  only 
eight  years  old,  for  lying  and  violence  of  temper.  When 
removed  from  there  she  joined  a  Sunday-school,  and  tried  to 
be  a  good  girl.  Her  health  not  being  good,  she  came  here 
and  went  into  a  factory.  It  was  then  she  fell  from  the  path  of 
virtue,  and  she  continued  to  lead  a  dissolute  life  until  brought 
low  upon  a  bed  of  sickness.  She  says  that  many  times  her 
heart  has  been  softened,  and  she  faintly  desired  a  better  life, 
but  never  had  moral  courage  to  try  long.  I  found  her  reading 
a  library  book, — the  history  of  one  like  herself.  I  said  to 
her,  *'  Eliza,  what  makes  you  want  to  lead  a  new  life, — be- 
cause you  are  sorry  for  the  past,  or  because  you  are  tired 
of  such  a  life?"  She  said.  Because  I  am  afraid  to  die,  as 
this  girl  did  (pointing  to  the  book),  and  have  no  hope." 

Mrs.  C w  asked  me  many  questions  about  salvation, 

such  as,  whether  they  should  be  lost  if  they  did  not  profess 
Christianity.  Her  husband  treated  me  with  about  as  much 
civility  as  on  my  first  visit.  I  spoke  to  him  kindly,  and 
offered  him  my  hand,  which  he  took,  and  relaxed  his  face 
into  something  like  a  smile.  I  said  nothing  to  him  upon 
the  state  of  his  soul,  but  talked  to  him  about  his  temporal 
affairs,  thinking  it  better  to  try  and  gain  his  kind  feelings 
before  I  attempted  anything  for  his  soul's  good,  fearing  I 
might  be  casting  pearls  before  swine. 

From  \Sfh  to  20th. — Made  fifteen  visits.  Called  again 
upon  Eliza,  feeling  anxious  to  know  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  such  a  heart  as  hers,  —  one  so  depraved 
and  sunk  in  the  mire  of  guilt.     She  expressed  great  sor- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


53 


row  for  the  past, — more  sorrow,  I  thought,  for  what  it  had 
brought  her  to,  than  for  the  sin  itself  and  disobedience  to 
her  Maker.  I  fear  God  has  not  touched  her  heart  with  the 
knowledge  of  his  undying  love.  She  said  she  knew  the 
Bible  told  her  that  Christ  saved  such  as  she  is,  when  upon 
earth,  but  she  could  not /^^/  it.  "Oh,  do  tell  me  the 
reason!"  I  told  her  I  was  afraid  she  was  holding  back 
something, — was  not  willing  to  give  up  all.  Her  mother, 
who  had  been  a  very  depraved  woman,  seemed  to  have  a 
heart  of  stone,  and  was  so  exceedingly  repulsive  in  her 
hard,  unfeeling  manner,  it  seemed  almost  an  insult  to  the 
Saviour  to  tell  her  of  his  love, — she  received  it  with  such 
cold  unconcern.  The  other  daughter,  who,  I  had  been 
told,  had  led  a  very  dishonest  life  in  every  way,  seemed  to 
realize  she  had  a  soul,  but  was  not  sensible  of  having  been 
a  great  sinner.  I  thought,  on  my  way  home,  what  a  load 
of  sin  had  the  Holy  Spirit  to  work  his  way  through  in  the 
hearts  of  this  family !  I  felt  the  work  had  commenced,  but 
how  long  it  would  be  before  He  could  illuminate  those  dark 
minds  with  the  light  of  divine  truth!  I  feel  my  utter  in- 
ability to  help  in  this  great  work,  but  humbly  pray  that  God 
will  strengthen  me,  as  He  has  been  pleased  to  repose  some 
trust  in  me. 

Found  one  of  my  women  desirous  to  be  led  in  the  way  of 
truth ;  she  said  that  the  words  of  our  Principal  went  to  her 
heart.  She  said,  ''Oh,  how  she  can  talk  to  sinners  about 
their  ways !  The  mothers'  meeting  is  the  best  place  I  have 
been  led  to  go  to  since  I  was  young  and  went  to  church." 

Another  woman  was  desirous  to  have  her  child  of  thirteen 
years  confirmed,  ''because  she  felt  as  though  she  would  like 
her  to  be  saved  from  eternal  hell,  even  if  she  was  not." 
I  said,  "Why  are  you  not  anxious  about  yourself,  when  you 
feel  it  necessary  for  your  daughter?"  She  replied  that  she 
hoped  the  time  would  come  to  her,  but  she  was  not  ready. 
I  asked  her,  "What  had  made  her  think  about  salvation  ?" 

5* 


54      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

She  said,  ''It  came  to  me  when  the  superintendent  told 
them  'the  time  was  at  hand.'  "  Turning  earnestly  to  me, 
she  said,  "I  will  never  stay  away  from  that  early  service, 
— I  never  knew  anything  before." 

The  conviction  came  to  my  own  mind  as  it  had  not  done 
before,  that  the  Church  was  doing  her  legitimate  work  in 
opening  her  every  door  to  the  lost  and  straying  sheep.  By 
the  work  thus  going  on  within  her  gates  many  a  lingering 
and  wandering  one  is  enabled  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  Good 
Shepherd,  and  is  brought  back  to  the  fold.  They  feel  the 
truth  and  power  of  the  gospel  when  the  Church  stretches 
out  her  arms  to  receive  them  under  all  circumstances,  and 
assures  them  that  poverty  need  be  no  drawback, — that  within 
her  walls  they  can  come  clad  in  the  garments  of  want,  and 
hear  from  the  lips  of  sympathizing  Christians  the  story  of 
the  Cross. 

One  woman  told  me  that  she  had  almost  given  up  in  de- 
spair (though  a  professing  Christian)  when  asked  to  join 
the  mothers'  meeting;  but  going  there  had  helped  her  to 
trust  in  God.  She  was  so  thankful  to  have  a  visit  from 
Christians.  On  a  previous  visit  I  had  read  to  her  from 
a  little  book,  called  the  "Words  of  Jesus."  She  said, 
"  Do  read  to  me  again  that  chapter  upon  the  words  '  It  is 
I,'  it  spoke  so  to  my  heart.  I  was  in  trouble  that  day  after 
you  went  away.  I  felt  as  though  I  must  work  harder  for 
my  salvation."  She  said,  "I  wish  you  would  talk  to  my 
poor  husband  ;  he  will  not  listen  to  a  word  for  his  soul." 
He  came  in  whilst  I  was  there.  I  stayed  and  talked  to  him, 
but  could  not  see  that  I  made  any  impression.     I  told  her 

I  would  ask  Mr.  to  come  and  see  him,  which  I  knew 

he  would  do ;  for  he  was  delighted  to  hear  of  any  one  to 
whom  he  could  tell  the  tidings  of  the  gospel.     She  gratefully 

thanked  me,  and  said,  ''  Oh,  do  come  often,  Mrs. !   I 

am  never  tired  of  seeing  you.   If  you  stay  away  I  miss  you. " 

21th. — Mrs.  C w  sent  for  me;  her  little  babe,  who 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


55 


had  been  sick,  was  dead.      She  said,  "  Oh,  Mrs. ,  I  so 

wanted  you  to  come  and  read  prayers  over  him  before  he 
died!"  I  told  her  that  would  no  doubt  have  been  a  com- 
fort to  her,  but  made  no  difference  to  the  child  ;  it  was  safe 
in  its  home  above.  I  asked  her  if  she  had  had  it  baptized. 
She  said  she  had.  I  told  her  she  had  then  discharged  her 
duty  as  far  as  she  could,  as  it  had  been  called  away  before 
other  duties  devolved  upon  her  with  regard  to  it.  Her  hus- 
band seemed  overwhelmed  by  the  loss,  and  treated  me  with 
more  civility  than  usual.  They  had  no  money  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  the  burial,  and  seemed  not  to  know  how  to 
do.  A  friend  had  asked  one  of  his  infidel  friends  to  loan 
him  five  dollars  in  his  extremity,  which  he  refused,  saying 

he  did  not  have  it ;   this  C w  knew  to  be  false.     I  gave 

him  what  was  necessary,  and  he  was  so  affected  by  it  that 
he  went  to  the  fectory  to  tell  those  who  scoffed  at  God,  that 
a  Christian  had  given  him,  unasked,  what  an  infidel  had  re- 
fused. I  attended  the  funeral.  The  father  suffered  very 
much,  being  unable  to  give  vent  to  his  feelings.  I  talked 
to  him  for  the  first  time  about  his  soul.  He  said  he  "  did 
not  believe  all  the  Bible  said."  I  told  him  I  did  not  wish 
to  argue  with  him,  but  as  he  knew  nothing  against  Chris- 
tianity but  what  ungodly  people  told  him,  or  he  read  in 
their  books,  it  was  but  fair  that  he  should  read  our  side  of 
the  question,  and  listen  to  what  we  had  to  say  in  our  own 
cause,  then  he  could  decide  with  more  justice.  He  said, 
*'  Yes,  you  are  right  enough."  I  asked  him  if  he  would  be 
willing  to  read  anything  I  would  give  him.  He  said,  "Yes, 
I  will  iox  you^ 

\st  of  March. — Made  five  visits.    Called  again  upon  Mrs. 

C w,  hoping  that  the  death  of  her  child  might  prove 

a  blessing  to  the  family.  Learned  that  her  husband  was  in 
danger  of  drowning  his  grief  in  intoxication.  She  seemed 
somewhat  awakened  to  the  state  of  her  soul.  She  was  going 
to  church  regularly  now.      *'It  is  time  I  was  doing  some- 


56  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

thing.  After  you  read  and  prayed  with  me  while  my  boy 
lay  dead,  I  felt  a  great  load  lifted  from  me.  I  was  almost 
suffocated  with  grief.  After  you  prayed  for  us  to  come  to 
the  Lord  and  be  a  Christian  family,  and  told  me  I  had  still 
a  babe,  a  pure  little  angel  in  heaven,  I  felt  so  different,  so 
comforted,  and  wanted  to  know  more  about  the  Saviour. 
Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  read  !"  I  read  to  her  a  long  time. 
She  listened  eagerly,  not  seeming  to  want  to  lose  any  of  it. 
I  left  a  book  for  her  husband  to  read.  She  remarked,  ''He 
will  do  it  for  you."  I  could  not  help  thinking  of  my  first 
visil:  and  his  uncivil  treatment. 

Called  upon  one  of  my  women  who  had  been  confirmed 
in  England,  but  had  never  partaken  of  the  Sacrament.  She 
said  since  she  had  gone  to  the  mothers'  meeting  she  had 
thought  of  her  obligations,  and  had  wanted  some  one  to 
talk  to  her  about  it.  This  shows  the  good  effect  of  visiting 
these  people.  This  woman  might  have  been  awakened  and 
the  impressions  have  passed  away,  because  she  would  not 
like  to  speak  to  any  one  herself,  or  would  not  have  an  op- 
portunity of  so  doing,  or  of  leaving  her  family  while  her 
mind  was  disturbed  by  these  thoughts. 
•-Another  woman  said  to  me,  ''  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you. 
I  just  wanted  to  see  some  Christian.  You  don't  know  how 
we  poor  people  feel  encouraged  when  a  lady  calls  and  turns 
our  minds  from  hard  work  for  a  little  while,  and  makes  us 
sit  down  and  talk  of  the  Saviour  and  the  next  world." 

Another  remarked,  ''Oh,  that  mothers'  meeting!  how 
much  I  have  learned  there  !  Why,  I  never  knew  anything 
before." 

8///. — Thirteen  visits.  Find  to-day  my  women  full  of 
inquiries  about  the  confirmation,  which  is  fast  approaching. 
While  in  conversation  with  two  of  them,  one  asked,  "  How 
far  is  it  off?"  The  other  replied,  "  Only  three  weeks." 
The  striking  reply  of  the  first  inquirer  was,  "Are  we  sure 
we  shall  live  three  weeks?     Oh,  we  ought  to  be  ready!" 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


57 


This  woman  had  once  been  a  Methodist,  but  had  become 
careless.  She  was  a  pure-minded,  simple-hearted  woman. 
I  talked  and  read  with  her  an  hour  and  a  half.  When 
going  away  she  said,  ''  Come  soon  ;  I  want  to  know  what 
to  do."  I  told  her  our  pastor  would  direct  her, — she  must 
go  to  him.  She  said  she  would.  I  have  every  faith  in  her. 
In  the  future  I  see  her  armed  with  a  perfect  trust  in  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Another  woman,  who  was  a  Christian,  said  she  was  "  so 
strengthened  by  going  to  the  mothers'  meeting. ' '  Our  Prin- 
cipal always  brought  things  so  home  to  her.  When  she  spoke 
to  them  she  knew  just  how  to  tell  them  to  meet  their  troubles. 

Another,  who  was  anxious  about  her  soul,  told  me  she 
was  ^'  thinking  hard  about  what  Mr.  said  of  the  jail- 
keeper  being  converted  in  one  night."  She  said,  "  I  took 
that  all  to  myself.  It  came  down  on  me  with  such  force, 
because  I  was  thinking  about  waiting  until  another  confir- 
mation. I  thought  to  myself.  What  is  time,  when  he  was 
converted  in  one  night?     I  will  pray." 

Mrs.  W has  given  birth  to  a  babe.     I  am  glad  to  see 

her  heart  is  seeking  after  her  neglected  Saviour.  She 
wanted  me  to  pray  that  she  would  not  be  tempted  to  neg- 
lect her  good  resolutions.  "  I  feel  I  cannot  live  without 
God,"  was  her  remark.  "How  long  will  our  mothers' 
meeting  last?"  I  replied,  "I  hope  until  we  all  reach 
heaven."  She  said,  ''  I  am  so  thankful  for  that,  for  I  can 
go  there  whether  I  have  good  clothes  or  not,  and  hear 
something  to  help  me  do  right."  She  said  she  had  been 
laughed  at  for  going,  because  those  who  knew  her  knew  she 
had  a  hasty  temper ;  but  it  would  not  keep  her  from  going, 
because  it  was  there  she  had  felt  the  first  happy  hour  since 
she  had  forgotten  her  God.  I  told  her  that  she  would  be 
strengthened  against  that  temper.  "  Oh,  yes,  I  will  never 
forget  that  first  prayer  !" 

Find  Eliza  W n  anxious  to  be  confirmed,  but  do  not 


58  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

think  she  understands,  and  hope  she  is  deceived  herself 
rather  than  deceiving  others. 

Another  woman,  who  had  Christian  teaching  in  her 
youth,  and  had  made  a  profession  of  faith  in  the  Methodist 
Church,  but  had  become  ahiiost  entirely  indifferent,  was 
deeply  concerned  about  her  condition.  I  asked  her  what 
had  first  caused  her  anxiety.  She  replied,  ''The  visits 
which  have  been  made  to  me  through  the  mothers'  meet- 
ing." She  would  not  decide  about  becoming  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  ;  she  loved  to  go  there,  but  was  fear- 
ful it  might  not  be  right,  having  once  been  a  Methodist.  I 
asked  her  if  our  service  was  tiresome.  "  Oh,  no ;  it  is 
beautiful  P^ 

My  friend  Mrs.  C w  is  full  of  doubt  and  sorrow,  not 

knowing  what   to  do.      "  I  feel  so  ignorant,  Mrs.  ." 

I  tried  to  make  her  understand  that  God  would  give  her 
knowledge  of  his  love,  as  well  as  grace  to  serve  Him,  if  she 
truly  desired  it;  pointed  out  to  her  many  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture to  show  her  she  could  come  "just  as  she  was."  She 
seemed  to  feel  that  she  was  a  great  sinner,  but  could  not 
take  knowledge  of  the  plan  of  salvation.  She  promised  to 
pray  faithfully.     I  feel  discouraged  about  her. 

wth. — Made  another  visit  to  Mrs.  C w,  and  learn 

she  is  ready  to  give  up  all  idea  of  making  a  profession  of 
the  faith.  She  seemed,  to-day,  to  have  lost  every  anxiety 
about  herself;  her  whole  demeanor  was  wild  and  stubborn, 
—  evidently  would  rather  talk  of  something  else.  I  left 
her,  feeling  very  sad,  for  she  had  been  the  subject  of  special 
prayer  with  me,  and  there  was  no  answer. 

19M. — Sickness  at  home  has  prevented  ine  from  visiting. 
To-day  another  visitor  brought  me  the  joyful  intelligence 

that  Mrs.  C w  has  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord 

Jesus,  and,  with  deeply-humbled  heart,  desires  to  make  a 
public  profession  of  her  faith.  I  was  anxious  to  know  by 
what  means  God  had  brought  her  to  himself.     Was  told 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


59 


that  at  the  early  service  some  words  had  come  so  power- 
fully to  her  soul,  that  she  left  the  church  with  tears  rolling 
down  her  cheeks.  At  the  door  she  stretched  out  her  hand 
to  a  friend,  saying,  ''If  God  will  help  me,  I  will  be  a 
Christian;  I  am  in  earnest,  indeed,  I  am  !"  How  wonder- 
ful are  God's  ways, — past  finding  out  !  In  a  few  days  the 
bishop  will  be  here. 

April  22d. — Very  many  souls  have  come  to  know  the 
length  and  depth  of  God's  love.  To-day,  have  been  per- 
mitted by  God  to  renew  my  work.    Called  first  upon  those 

who  had  been  confirmed.     Found  Mrs.  H upon  her 

knees,  much  disturbed  by  severe  trial  of  her  faith.  She  wel- 
comed me  with  more  than  ordinary  warmth,  saying,  "I  am 
so  glad  you  have  come  just  this  day."  The  day  previous  a 
neighbor  had  spoken  very  severely  to  her  about  her  husband 
wearing  so  shabby  a  coat  to  church,  telling  her  Christians 
would  blame  her,  and  would  not  think  so  well  of  them  for 
not  making  themselves  look  respectable.  The  remark  had 
grieved  her,  and  made  her  feel  rebellious.  To-day  she  felt 
humbled  for  her  sinfulness,  and  was  striving  with  the  evil 
spirit,  and  praying  earnestly  for  strength.  She  was  so 
glad  to  have  me  come  and  advise  her.  I  read  and  talked 
with  her  for  some  time.  She  bade  me  good-by  with  many 
expressions  of  gratitude,  and  spoke  with  tears  of  the  bless- 
ings she  had  received  through  the  mothers'  meeting. 

Another  of  my  women  who  had  been  confirmed  (Mrs. 

C w),  one  who  was  a  mere  babe  in  the  knowledge  of 

the  gospel,  said  she  was  so  troubled  because  she  felt  she  did 
nothing  for  God.  When  she  heard  of  her  Saviour's  suffer- 
ing, she  said  "  it  seemed  a  cold  chill  came  over  me  to  think 
He  had  borne  that  for  me,  that  I  might  get  to  heaven.  And 
oh,  it  is  so  hard  for  me  to  do  right !  I  am  so  ignorant;  'tis 
so  hard  to  pray.  I  cannot  read,  and  I  was  never  in  the  habit 
of  praying, — never  knelt  down  in  my  room  and  prayed  for 
myself  till  you  prayed  for  me  by  the  side  of  my  dead  baby." 


6o  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

I  told  her  of  the  blessed  words  of  our  Saviour,  ''  Only  be- 
lieve," etc.  I  told  her  I  would  teach  her  to  read,  but  she 
was  so  far  from  me.  She  said,  "Oh,  I  will  come  to  you, 
if  I  can  leave  the  children.  I  want  to  read  the  Bible  every 
day.  When  you  read  to  me  I  always  remember  something; 
and  every  night,  at  the  mothers'  meeting,  I  learn  another 
truth  to  take  to  my  soul."  The  mothers'  meeting  has  been 
a  good  thing  for  her.  How  would  this  woman  have  been 
reached  in  any  other  way?  Certainly  God's  blessing  rests 
upon  the  work.  To-day  I  fully  realized  why  so  many  of  these 
people  become  backsliders.  They  so  much  need  instruc- 
tion ;  teaching  that  gives  them  'Mine  upon  line,  precept 
upon  precept."  Surrounded  by  so  many  temptations,  so 
much  immorality ;  beholding  Christians  stiff-necked,  un- 
willing to  give  them  the  hand  of  friendship,  having  no 
sympathy  with  their  oppressed  souls,  and  their  surcharged 
hearts  ready  to  break  with  their  many  cares,  is  it  any  won- 
der they  go  astray  ? 

\']th. — Made  seven  visits.  Had  a  conversation  with  the 
husband  of  one  of  my  women,  who  seldom  attends  church, 
and  occasionally  becomes  intoxicated,  though  a  good  neigh- 
bor, kind  at  home,  and  will  lend  a  helping  hand  in  any 
trouble  of  those  around  him.  I  had  promised  his  wife  I 
would  talk  with  him  about  going  to  church  as  soon  as  I  had 
an  opportunity.  He  told  me,  ''  I  would  not  go  and  pre- 
tend to  be  what  I  am  not,  as  some  do."  He  said  it  hurt 
him  so  much.  I  asked  him  if  he  did  not  think  there  were 
some  good  men  there.  Oh,  certainly ;  he  would  like  to  be 
like  them.  I  told  him  he  was  a  stumbling-block  in  the  way 
of  others  when  he  refused  to  join  them,  and  help  them  to 
find  the  evil  and  remedy  their  errors.  I  told  him  that  good 
and  evil  work  together  now,  as  they  did  in  the  time  of  the 
Saviour's  visit  to  the  earth ;  that  Judas  was  still  with  us;  and 
I  tried  to  show  him  that  the  chaff  was  separated  from  the 
wheat  at  the  harvest, — not  at  the  sowing  time.     He  said  he 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  6 1 

never  thought  of  that.  When  I  left  him  he  gave  me  hii 
hand,  saying,  "  I  am  going  to  think  about  it."  Called  on 
another  of  my  women, — a  Christian, — who  was  very  anx- 
ious about  her  husband,  the  most  soulless  man  I  ever  met. 
From  his  cold,  light-blue  eyes  there  beamed  a  perfect  in- 
difference to  everything  elevated  above  the  grovelers.  I 
felt  powerless  to  talk  with  him,  but  made  a  feeble  effort. 
From  his  answer  and  remark  I  almost  felt  as  though  I 
might  be  mistaken  in  supposing  I  was  talking  to  a  man. 
They  were  about  taking  their  dinner,  and  his  wife  said  to 
me,  '*I  suppose  you  would  not  like  to  take  a  cup  of  tea 
with  me?"  I  told  her  certainly  I  would,  and  sat  down  by 
them  and  took  some  tea  from  a  china  cup,  which  she  said 
was  the  only  one  she  had  ;  she  had  brought  it  from  Eng- 
land. Taking  tea  with  this  man  seemed  to  please  him  far 
more  than  talking  to  him  about  his  immortal  soul.  I  en- 
deavored to  follow  the  subject  up  while  he  was  in  a  less 
surly  humor,  but  could  not  make  any  impression  on  him, 
though  he  parted  with  me  far  more  pleasantly  than  he  had 
met  me. 

Another  of  our  women  told  me  her  husband  was  so 
pleased  with  my  talking  to  him,  he  would  like  me  to  come 
often.  He  had  finished  a  book  I  had  loaned  him,  and  had 
learned  so  much  from  it,  he  would  like  to  have  another. 
He  never  had  been  in  a  church  except  upon  such  an  occa- 
sion as  having  the  children  baptized,  but  he  had  gone  the 
Sunday  before,  and  was  so  pleased,  he  thought  he  would  go 
again.  He  is  a  man  whose  thoughts  have  been  given  up 
to  saving  money,  and  he  has  quite  a  little  sum  already. 

2^th  inst. — Three  visits.  One  of  my  men,  who  had  been 
confirmed,  met  me  with  a  smiling  face,  saying,  as  he  held 
out  his  hands,  "  They  don't  shake  now  when  I  go  to  work. 
I  feel  so  honest  now  when  I  go  among  my  fellows,  and  I 
can  look  them  straight  in  the  face,  and  no  whisky  in  my 
head."     He  had  been  but  a  few_ months  ago  a  miserable 

6 


62      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

drunkard.  An  old  woman,  whose  soul  seemed  filled  with 
doubt  and  darkness,  said  to  me,  "  Come  again  very  soon. 
I'll  never  find  the  way  alone ;  and  I  won't  be  here  long." 
I  told  her  she  could  pray ;  God  was  waiting  to  hear  her, 
and  she  would  not  speak  and  ask  his  love.  She  said  she 
was  afraid ;  she  had  been  told  so  much  when  she  was 
young,  and  still  had  never  done  right,  and  she  never  could. 
I  tried  to  show  her  that  she  would  not ;  I  read  and  talked 
with  her,  dwelling  much  on  God's  love  ;  but  still  she  wept 
with  the  sorrow  of  one  without  hope.  Mind  and  body  are 
both  failing.  How  fearful  is  the  responsibility  of  leaving 
the  preparation  for  death  until  the  dying  hour !  She  thought, 
*'If  she  only  had  her  time  to  go  over."  I  told  her  to 
pray  for  forgiveness  for  the  past ;  but  not  to  waste  the  time 
God  was  still  allowing  her,  and  have  that  also  to  regret  all 
through  eternity. 

28//?. — Made  five  visits.  Called  again  on  my  old  friend 
whose  mind  seemed  so  clouded.  She  said  she  had  been 
praying,  and  added,  "  Would  it  not  be  good  in  God  to 
forgive  me  and  let  me  go  to  heaven?"  I  read  with  her, 
and  she  leaned  over  on  her  feeble  knees  listening  eagerly, 
occasionally  saying,  as  some  familiar  passage  seemed  to 
recall  by-gone  days,  '*  Oh,  that  is  what  he  used  to  say!" 
"  How  he  did  pray  for  me !"  And  the  tears  meanwhile  were 
rolling  down  her  face  in  penitential  sorrow.  I  was  very 
glad  I  was  led  to  go  to  see  her  to-day.  I  think  it  very 
necessary  to  follow  up  these  people  at  times  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  at  work  in  the  heart,  and  not  give  the  devil  an 
opportunity  of  snatching  the  good  seed.  She  seemed  more 
hopeful  at  times,  and  then  again  desponding,  during  my 
visit. 

i^th  of  May. — Made  eleven  visits.  Had  a  long  conver- 
sation with  Mr.  C w.  Found  he  had  very  much  modi- 
fied his  views.  He  said  he  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
there  was  something  which  he  had  never  attained  to ;  he 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  63 

could  not  realize  the  sacrifice  of  the  so-called  Saviour,  be- 
cause he  did  not  believe  there  could  be  any  hell  such  as 
Christians  described.  He  had  once  thought  there  was  no 
God,  but  the  more  he  thought,  the  more  deeply  he  was  con- 
vinced there  was  a  great  and  good  God,  too  good  to  make 
a  hell.  I  had  given  him  several  books,  all  of  which  he  had 
read  with  much  care ;  among  them,  Mcllvaine  s  Evidences 
and  Baxter' s  Call.  He  was  evidently  searching  for  the 
truth.  I  told  him  he  was  right  to  search,  God  had  given 
him  an  inquiring  mind  to  use,  but  I  wanted  him  to  search 
prayerfully,  leaning  upon  God,  not  upon  himself;  and 
endeavored  to  show  him  that  otherwise  he  might  waste  his 
whole  life  and  die  without  the  knowledge  and  love  of  the 
Saviour.  He  said  he  would  promise  me  to  ask  wisdom  of 
God.  I  asked  him  if  I  should  pray  for  him.  He  hesitated, 
and  finally  said,  ''You  may  if  you  please."  He  remarked, 
''  I  do  know  one  thing,  and  that  is  that  none  do  as  Chris- 
tians do  ;  there  must  be  good  somewhere  in  it ;  but  I  feel 
no  desire  to  be  one.  Why,  I  do  not  know."  1  think  this 
man  should  be  specially  prayed  for.  His  companions  and 
fellow-workmen  are  the  vilest  of  the  town,  infidels,  blas- 
phemers, and  many  of  them  degraded  drunkards.  I  feel 
so  sorry  for  his  wife,  who  has  just  been  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  and  is  very  anxious  for  him,  but 
so  ignorant  herself  she  has  to  listen  almost  in  silence  to  all 
that  is  said  about  her.  Find  a  very  great  improvement  in 
her  house  and  children,  also  in  the  houses  of  many  of  my 
women. 

One  of  my  women,  whom  I  called  upon,  said,  "  She  tried 
to  clean  up  a  little  nowadays,"  and  asked  if  I  thought  it 
looked  better.  I  could  not  say  much  for  her,  for  her  house 
is  the  most  loathsome  I  ever  enter.  I  am  always  obliged 
to  stand  or  sit  in  the  doorway  to  breathe  freely.  I  was 
astonished  to  hear  her  speak  of  it  in  any  way,  she  always 
seemed  so  insensible  to  it ;  her  children,  like  the  mother, 


64  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

seem  innately  filthy.  I  think  a  radical  change  must  be 
wrought  before  this  family  can  realize  their  degradation, 
and  love  cleanliness  so  much  as  to  practice  it. 

Fi'Ofn  the  22d to  the  Ty\st. — Made  five  visits. 

From  the  nth  to  the  igth  of  June. — Made  six  visits. 

Have  been  absent  some  weeks.  Found,  upon  my  re- 
turn, Mr.  C w  was  very  ill ;  a  few  days  after  he  died. 

Another  visitor  had  a  long  conversation  with  him  during 
my  absence,  in  which  he  expressed  his  unwillingness  to 
believe  in  eternal  punishment.  During  his  last  hours  he 
showed  many  signs  of  penitence  ;  silent  hours,  because  he 
was  unable  to  speak. 

Since  the  ist  of  August,  have  made  eighteen  visits.  From 
these  people  I  have  received  many  expressions  of  deep 
gratitude  in  various  ways.  During  the  extreme  illness  of 
one  of  my  children,  I  daily  received  kind  inquiries  and 
sympathizing  messages,  showing  that  ready  sympathy  and 
refinement  of  feeling  exist  even  among  the  most  ignorant. 
A  sailor,  the  husband  of  one  of  my  women,  brought  me  a 
very  beautiful  piece  of  coral  and  sea-fern.  From  one  of  my 
women  I  received  a  bouquet  of  new  flowers.  The  most 
touching  mark  of  gratitude  was  from  an  aged  woman,  who 
brought  each  of  my  little  children  a  tiny  china  cup,  which 
she  had  had  in  her  chest  forty  years,  and  valued  them  as  a 
child  would  a  toy.  The  poor  woman  appears  almost  child- 
ishly attached  to  me;  calls  me  her  ''good  mother." 


FIVE    YEARS    AFTER. 

The  mother  so  often  mentioned,  Mrs.  C w,  is  indeed 

a  monument  of  grace ;  her  light  is  one  which  burns  not 
dimly.  In  her  husband's  death  we  had  only  the  eleventh 
hour's  hope,  or  that  inspired  by  the  cry  of  the  dying  thief. 
But  the  life  of  that   poor  ignorant  wife  and  mother  is  a 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  65 

shining  light  in  her  humble  sphere.  It  brings  the  blush  to 
many  a  more  favored  follower  of  the  great  Teacher ;  nay, 
any  of  us  might  stoop  to  learn  something  from  that  humble, 
faithful  heart.  Since  becoming  a  wido^y,  her  conduct  has 
been  without  reproach ;  a  large  family  of  young  and  help- 
less children  was  her  legacy,  and  these  she  has  supported 
with  very  little  help.  Instead  of  seeing  her  untidy  hair 
tumbled  and  scorched  by  the  sun,  it  is  smooth  and  cleanly ; 
her  face,  once  so  stupid,  wears  always  a  happy  smile;  her 
manner,  once  so  awkward  and  hesitating,  as  though  ashamed 
of  her  own  presence,  is  now  cordial  and  cheery.  Though 
living  at  a  great  distance  from  the  church,  her  place  is 
never  vacant,  save  only  from  sickness ;  her  honest  face  we 
seldom  miss  from  the  Lord's  Table.  *'  He  that  hath  mercy 
on  them  shall  lead  them  ;  even  by  the  springs  of  water  shall 
he  guide  them." 

The  woman  Eliza  and  her  mother,  of  whom  I  have 
several  times  spoken  above,  have  both  passed  from  earth. 
I  was  not  with  either  of  them  in  the  hour  of  death.  Eliza 
sent  for  me,  but  I  was  unable  to  leave  my  home.  I  learned 
from  our  assistant  minister,  who  visited  her  frequently  in 
that  last  illness,  that  he  had  no  doubt  she  had  put  her  trust 
in  the  wonderful  blood  of  which  the  prophet  spoke, 
*' Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as 
snow." 

Her  mother  I  have  been  more  or  less  with  during  the 
whole  five  years.  I  had  noticed  a  gradual  change  in  her, 
less  hardness,  more  anxiety  about  her  soul,  a  desire  to  be 
taught.  The  name  of  Jesus  had  for  a  long  time  a  pleasant 
sound  for  her  dull  ears,  but  the  best  evidence  of  a  change 
in  her,  was  the  deep  interest  she  showed  in  work  for  the 
souls  of  her  children,  and  a  charity  for  the  fallen. 

How,  oh,  how  would  these  benighted,  wretched  ones 
have  felt  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  Truth, — where  would 
they  have  heard  the  story  of  the  Cross,  had  it  not  been  for 

6* 


66  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

this  seeking  after  the  lost  ?  They  never  thought  of  going 
to  church,  and  had  they  gone,  and  in  the  providence  of 
God  had  any  impression  been  made,  it  might  have  died  for 
want  of  deepness  of  soil  or  for  want  of  watering  and  care, 
for  they  both  needed  tender  sympathy  and  sharp  reproof, 
untiring  patience  and  long-suffering.  I  have  often  so 
dreaded  my  visit  to  these  repulsive  people,  that  to  strengthen 
my  resolution,  deepen  my  interest,  and  increase  my  zeal, 
I  have  said  over  and  over  again,  as  I  went  along,  "  For 
Christ's  sake  I  go."  And  now  they  have  passed  from 
earth,  gone  to  the  grave  where  there  is  neither  device  nor 
knowledge.  I  remember  the  woman  who  but  touched  the 
hem  of  his  garment,  and  her  to  whom  He  said,  *'  Go,  and 
sin  no  more."  Calvary's  bloody  scene  incites  me  to  go 
out  into  the  alleys  and  lanes  and  compel  just  such  to  come 
in.  Yes,  "  Go  out,"  is  the  Master's  bidding,  not  wait  and 
beckon  from  a  distance  to  such  as  these  so  stupefied  by 
long  indulgence  in  sin. 

The  woman  who  was  brought  to  a  decision  through  the 

remarks  of  Mr. upon  the  conversion  of  the  jail-keeper, 

has  been  one  of  our  most  exemplary  Christians,  and  both 
her  husband  and  daughter  have  followed  her  example. 
Two  sons  have  joined  our  Bible-classes ;  one  has  broken 
away  from  a  crowd  of  bad  boys,  praying  earnestly  for  a 
year,  but  not  yet  having  made  an  open  profession  of  faith. 
Though  never  a  drunkard,  yet  he  was  on  the  way  to  it,  for 
three  out  of  his  crowd  of  boys  are  fast  going  down  to 
ruin. 

How  easily  these  people  are  reached,  and  then  how 
ready  to  receive  our  sympathy! — hands  stretched  out  tons, 
tearful  eyes  looking  up  to  us,  neglected  hearts  wanting  only 
the  knowledge  of  redeeming  love  brought  to  them.  I 
cannot  call  the  work  labor;  we  should  say,  our  "Lines  are 
cast  in  pleasant  places,  yea,  we  have  a  goodly  heritage." 
"We  should  not  be  compelled  to  urge  Christians  to  put  their 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  67 

shoulder  to  the  wheel  in  this  work,  for  if  they  knew  the 
delight  of  it,  they  would  come  and  join  in  the  harvest,  for 
surely  we  have  an  earnest  of  a  vast  gathering. 


HELPERS  IN  CHRIST  JESUS. 

The  great  Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  specially  commended 
holy  women  as  his  ''helpers  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  he  also 
testified  that  all  the  Churches  of  the  Gentiles  united  with 
him  in  giving  one  of  them  thanks. 

The  early  disciples  prayed  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to 
send  forth  more  laborers  ;  and  through  the  Holy  Spirit's 
influence  many  women  were  raised  up  from  their  then  de- 
graded position,  and  became  most  effective  aids  to  the 
Apostles  in  teaching  the  ignorant,  and  in  watching  over 
weak  and  wayward  disciples. 

One  of  the  noblest  bishops  of  our  Church  testified  that 
cultivated  women  had  been  employed  by  him  in  a  hospital 
as  Christian  teachers,  and  that  they  had  evinced  such  skill 
and  persistency,  and  such  a  constant  reference  to  the  spir- 
itual edification  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  that  it 
filled  him  with  hope.  He  further  said,  *'  I  have  seen  god- 
less men  and  reckless  youth  who  had  withstood  all  others, 
yielding  to  the  silent  and  persevering  efforts  of  ladies,  and 
demonstrating  how  much  can  be  done  among  the  most  for- 
lorn of  our  people  through  their  agency.  It  is  teaching  us 
more  and  more  the  necessity  of  individualizing  our  appeals, 
of  making  them  with  all  kindness  and  constancy,  and  of 
coupling  them  with  fervent  and  believing  prayer."  Readers 
of  Holy  Writ  may  have  ceased  to  wonder  that  the  eloquent 
ApoUos  was  willing  to  be  instructed  by  Priscilla,  but  it 
seems  somewhat  startling  to  hear  one  of  our  wisest  bishops 


6a      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

proclaim  that  women  were  not  only  teaching  hini  how  to 
interest  and  instruct  the  ignorant,  but  that  through  their 
success  he  was  filled  with  hope  that  even  the  wayside  hearer 
might  be  saved. 

All  who  have  the  spirit  of  Christ  are  moved  thereby  to 
communicate  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  others  less 
favored  than  themselves.  To  such  the  following  paper  will 
be  suggestive.  It  was  written  for  private  perusal  more  than 
two  years  since ;  and  subsequent  experience  corroborates 
its  statements  and  testifies  to  the  inestimable  value  of  indi- 
vidualizing our  appeals  and  making  them  kindly,  constantly, 
and  prayerfully.  These  ladies  do  not  reside  in  the  hos- 
pital ;  they  are  mere  visitors,  who  are  not  charged  with 
nursing,  or  with  any  other  duties  than  such  as  appertain  to 
the  office  of  a  faithful  Bible-class  teacher  in  a  parish  church. 
Although  the  ill  and  dying  patients  derive  unspeakable 
comfort  from  their  Christian  ministrations,  yet  the  most 
convincing  evidence  of  God's  blessing  on  the  religious 
instruction  given  by  them  is  afforded  in  the  after-life  of 
persons  who  entered  the  hospital  in  a  prayerless,  and  even 
a  godless  state.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  most  of 
the  patients  are  in  no  more  fear  of  death  than  they  were 
when  in  the  highest  health,  as  they  only  require  slight 
medical  or  surgical  aid. 

In  such  an  institution,  as  well  as  in  adult  Bible-classes, 
temporal  relief  can  rarely  be  administered  by  the  Christian 
teacher  without  tending  to  self-deceit  or  hypocrisy  in  the 
sordid,  or  prejudicing  the  more  noble  against  religious  in- 
struction through  fear  of  being  charged  with  base  motives. 
There  are  exceptional  cases,  where  peculiar  hardships  render 
relief  necessary;  but  even  there,  great  caution  is  required 
to  prevent  envyings  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  become 
morbid  through  disease.  All  appetites  are  apt  to  grow 
with  what  they  feed  upon,  the  body  demanding  continuous, 
and  even  increased,  luxuries  from  those  who  are  supposed 


THEIR  SA  YINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


69 


to  be  able  to  give  them  ;  and  the  soul,  when  it  is  properly- 
nourished,  craving  an  increase  of  spiritual  knowledge.  A 
woman  with  a  sprightly  mind  and  ready  sympathy  can 
almost  invariably  open  the  avenues  to  religious  instruction 
without  the  aid  of  temporal  relief;  and  where  the  heart  is 
touched  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  learner  is  sufficiently  cor- 
dial in  welcoming  the  teacher.  If  every  parish  minister 
would  induce  some  of  the  Christian  women  in  his  parish  to 
give  parts  of  two  or  more  days  in  each  week  to  such  work, 
under  the  guidance  of  experienced  and  successful  teachers, 
his  hands  would  be  greatly  strengthened.  Two  of  the 
closing  letters  should  encourage  young  and  inexperienced 
Christians  to  begin  such  a  work,  and  the  last  letter  displays 
such  admirable  tact  that  all  may  learn  from  it  how  to  ap- 
proach and  benefit  these  'Miitherto  unapproachable  beings." 

W. 

My  dear  Mr. :   You  want  from  me  a  little  sketch 

of  my  present  hospital  work,  as  distinctive  from  that  in  a 
military  hospital. 

Having  had  my  heart  engrossed  and  time  absorbed  for 
sixteen  months  in  labors  for  the  spiritual  and  temporal  wel- 
fare of  the  soldiers,  which  had  more  interested  me  than 
any  work  for  Christ  and  the  Church  that  had  ever  come 
within  my  reach,  I  was  cast  down  and  perplexed  when  the 
soldiers  were  withdrawn  from  the  hospital,  and  it  was  de- 
cided to  receive  into  it  that  class  of  patients  for  whom  it 
was  built. 

When  it  was  proposed  that  ladies  should  remain  as  resi- 
dents, or  become  visitors,  I  instinctively  drew  back,  prefer- 
ring so  much  the  work  among  the  soldiers.  This  feeling  was 
the  more  strengthened  by  friends  who  thought  time  and 
labor  might  be  much  better  bestowed  elsewhere  than  upon 
the  neglected  class  of  poor  taken  from  the  lanes  and  alleys 
of  our  city.    After  a  great  struggle  and  much  prayer,  as  no 


yo  WOMEN  HELPERS  EV  THE   CHURCH, 

one  else  was  found,  it  was  decided  that  I  should  enter  for 
three  months,  and  test  the  field  thus  offered.  After  a  year 
of  happy  service  in  daily  visitations  at  the  hospital,  with 
devout  thankfulness  I  can  say  that  I  do  not  regret  my  de- 
cision. 

With  a  feeling  of  distrust  and  despondency,  the  men's 
ward  was  entered  that  April  day.  There  were  twenty-five 
lying  sick  and  helpless,  with  faces  and  attitudes  bespeaking 
weariness  and  gloom.  No  convalescents,  gay  and  cheerful, 
such  as  had  varied  the  scene  a  few  weeks  before  in  that 
same  ward  ;  no  uniformed  soldiers  sending  a  thrill  of  patri- 
otism through  one's  breast,  but  dull,  commonplace,  suffer- 
ing humanity.  There  was  nothing  to  vary  the  life  or  divert 
the  thoughts. 

There  was  an  early  service  in  the  morning  by  the  chap- 
lain, and  the  visits  of  the  physicians  twice  a  day;  other 
than  this,  none  were  in  the  wards  but  nurses  and  patients 
for  five  days  in  the  week.     It  looked  dull  as  a  prison. 

Then  came  the  perplexity,  ''  How  shall  I  approach  these 
invalids?"  Heretofore  in  the  hospital,  the  one  introduc- 
tion had  been,  *'In  what  engagement  were  you  wounded  ?" 
or,  "In  what  army  did  you  contract  your  disease?"  And 
then  the  one  subject  of  our  country  and  our  country's  cause 
had  been  common  and  very  fruitful  ground. 

The  ward  for  women  was,  if  possible,  more  cheerless 
still ;  there  were  twenty  of  them  sick,  silent,  and  unoccu- 
pied. 

The  first  week  was  a  week  of  trial ;  but  it  was  soon  found 
that  there  beat  in  every  breast  the  same  throbbing  human 
heart,  open  to  sympathy  and  kindness,  responding  most  mar- 
velously  to  look  or  word  of  loving  interest.  Very  soon  were 
my  sympathies  enlisted  in  the  sorrows  and  hopes  of  these 
representatives  of  Christ  upon  earth.  There  was  a  readi- 
ness of  access  which  amazed  me, — an  opening  for  religious 
counsel  and  religious  instruction  fully  equal  to  that  exhib- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  71 

ited  in  military  hospitals.  I  found,  too,  what  I  had  never 
before  realized,  how  much  our  working  people  and  poor  are 
neglected  in  the  ministrations  of  the  sanctuary. 

There  are  daily  in  our  wards,  and  in  attendance  at  the 
dispensary,  scores  of  men  and  women,  living  in  our  midst, 
who  never  had  the  gospel  presented  for  their  individual  ac- 
ceptance. In  many  cases  we  have  English  people  who  have 
lived  in  this  country  for  years  without  attending  public 
worship,  though  carefully  brought  up  at  home  in  the  Eng- 
lish Church.  They  are  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  and 
I  can  truly  say,  "  No  man  has  cared  for  their  souls." 

There  were,  during  the  summer,  two  ladies  in  daily 
charge  of  the  hospital,  and  one  who  attended  one  day  in 
the  week.  They  gave  the  patients  ready  sympathy  and 
interest  in  things  temporal  and  spiritual,  read  to  them,  ex- 
plaining and  applying  to  individuals  what  was  read,  and 
praying  with  them  at  their  bedsides.  In  many  cases  the 
request  was  made,  '*  Oh,  read  to  me  every  day  if  you  can 
make  time  !"  One  would  say,  "  I  have  not  heard  so  much 
good  since  I  lost  my  mother;"  another  would  beg  for  '*a 
little  more  talk, — it  does  me  so  much  good  and  gives  me 
something  to  think  about." 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  one  man  and  three  women 
died  in  the  full  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality  through 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  thanking  God  for  having  brought 
them  to  an  institution  where  they  had  been  awakened  to 
their  need  of  a  Saviour,  or  warmed  to  greater  love  to  Him, 
and  invoking  blessings  on  those  who  had  given  time  and 
means  for  the  erection  and  support  of  a  church  hospital. 

Late  in  the  summer  the  number  of  patients  increased; 
sailors  were  added,  who  gave  new  life  and  variety  to  the 
ward.  They  come  rough,  but  generous;  unused  to  the 
forms  of  social  life,  yet  never  uncivil,  gazing  in  wonder- 
ment at  ladies  moving  about,  asking  the  older  resident 
patients,  "What  these  women  came  for?"     ''Were  they 


72 


WOMEN  HELPERS  EV  THE    CHURCH, 


paid  for  their  services?"  "Were  they  stockholders  in  the 
building?"  etc.  Soon  the  wonder  subsides,  and  the  ladies 
are  regarded  as  '^  friends  who  bring  sunshine  with  them," 
as  has  often  been  said.  Sailors  are  proverbially  very  im- 
pressible ;  but  the  readiness  to  read  such  books  as  are 
selected  for  them,  and  to  enter  into  close  religious  con- 
versation, is  a  daily  source  of  surprise  to  us. 

The  average  stay  of  the  patients  is  some  three  or  four 
weeks  :  this  time  is  very  precious,  and  must  be  made  as 
available  as  possible  for  the  presentation  of  Christ  crucified 
to  those  perishing  sinners.  At  once  the  acquaintance  is 
made,  some  clue  found  to  the  past  life  or  future  hopes, 
some  insight  into  character  or  condition  is  gained,  and  usu- 
ally at  this  first  interview  some  religious  teaching  is  gently 
dropped,  some  text  of  Scripture  presented  for  considera- 
tion till  next  day,  some  hold  gained  upon  the  attention, 
if  not  on  the  heart,  of  the  new-comer.  And  so  the 
work  goes  on  from  day  to  day,  each  case  followed  up 
by  such  teaching  and  influences  as  it  seems  peculiarly  to 
demand. 

Some  months  ago  a  men's  Bible-class  was  opened,  which 
has  been  daily  taught  since ;  the  attendance  fluctuates, 
owing  to  the  changes  in  the  physical  condition  of  the 
patients  ;  but  it  is  a  gratifying  fact  that  the  record  of  each 
day's  attendance  includes  nearly  every  man  able  to  walk  to 
the  Bible-class  room. 

The  visitors  pray  by  the  bedsides  of  patients,  and  oppor- 
tunities for  private  conversation  with  one  and  another  are 
found  or  made  in  the  Bible-class  room,  where  the  subject 
of  personal  religion  is  affectionately  and  urgently  pre- 
sented. This  is  followed  by  prayer,  that  almost  always 
melts  the  heart  of  the  patient,  and  draws  it  out  to  receive, 
through  the  Holy  Spirit's  aid,  the  love  of  a  crucified 
Saviour.  Often  after  such  prayer  gratitude  is  expressed 
for  the  interest  shown,  and  promises  are  made  that  God's 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  73 

Holy  Spirit  shall  be  continually  sought  in  earnest  prayer, 
and  efforts  made  to  lead  a  new  life  by  his  grace  and 
help. 

Some  persons  have  expressed  the  idea  that  this  work  was 
too  inquisitorial,  that  the  feelings  of  those  addressed  must 
be  wounded  or  annoyed  by  our  probing  into  their  hearts 
and  lives.  The  reply  we  make  is  that  no  rebuff  has  ever 
been  given,  no  annoyance  expressed  by  look  or  word  ;  on 
the  contrary,  it  often  seems  a  positive  relief  to  these  people 
to  unburden  themselves  to  one  who  appears  to  understand 
and  to  sympathize  with  them.  They  realize  that  no  idle 
curiosity,  no  impertinent  spirit,  actuates  those  who  give 
their  time  and  efforts  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Great  tact  is  needed  in  this  work ;  earnestly  must  the 
divine  help  be  invoked  in  each  individual  case ;  great 
watchfulness  and  care  are  required  at  each  step. 

This  brings  me  to  the  'Mielpers."  Late  in  November 
an  appeal  was  made  for  the  services  of  more  ladies,  in  re- 
sponse to  which  eight  or  ten  offered  service  for  one  day  in 
the  week.  There  are  great  disadvantages  in  this  plan,  and 
it  is  hoped  more  frequent  service  may  be  rendered  by  some 
of  them  in  the  future ;  yet  a  vast  deal  of  good  has  been 
accomplished,  not  only  to  the  patients,  but  to  the  visitors 
themselves,  in  accordance  with  the  promise,  ''He  that 
watereth  shall  be  watered  again."  Almost  all  these  ladies 
were  young,  having  had  Sunday-school  experience  in  teach- 
ing and  visiting,  but  being  quite  inexperienced  in  dealing 
individually  with  adults  about  their  eternal  interests.  I 
think  I  may  say  that,  without  exception,  they  at  first  de- 
clined praying  with  the  patients,  some  saying  they  thought 
that  was  the  chaplain's  business,  others  shrinking  from  it 
through  timidity  or  self-distrust.  Most  of  these  ladies 
wished  to  have  selected  for  them  the  precise  tract  or  Scrip- 
ture portion  to  be  read  to  each  patient,  disclaiming  all 
power  of  discovering  for  themselves  the  tone,  or  character- 
D  7 


74  WOMEN  HELPERS   IN   THE    CHURCH, 

istic,  or  need  of  each  individual.  With  practice  and  ex- 
perience this  distrust  has  passed  away,  and  it  is  surprising 
to  see  the  efficiency  and  earnestness  with  which  some  of 
these  ladies  are  applying  themselves  to  the  work,  individual- 
izing remarkably  those  with  whom  they  have  to  deal,  and 
varying  the  mode  of  approach  and  the  instruction  wisely 
and  well.  Though  their  visits  are  made  but  once  a  week, 
yet  the  influence  in  many  cases  has  been  most  marked,  and 
the  day  of  such  visitor  is  noted  and  wished  for  by  those 
who  have  been  especially  interested  in  her  presentation  of 
religious  truth. 

The  laborers  in  this  vineyard  feel  themselves  blessed  in 
their  efforts  for  others.  Two  of  them  have  said  in  the  last 
few  weeks  that  this  has  been  the  happiest  winter  of  their 
lives,  because  they  have  had  such  an  interest,  as  they  never 
before  felt,  in  trying  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  I  append  three 
letters,  two  of  them  from  our  youngest  lady  visitors,  who 
will  speak  for  themselves  of  the  spiritual  advantages  they 
have  derived. 

"  My  dear :  I  regret  so  much  being  obliged  to  miss 

even  one  day  at  the  hospital,  for  I  never  enjoyed  any  work 
in  my  life  so  much  as  that  in  which  we  are  now  engaged. 
It  is  something  so  different  from  anything  I  have  before 
known,  so  much  to  work  upon,  and  so  much  good  resulting 
from  what  is  done.  It  has  often  surprised  me  to  see  the 
willingness  with  which  the  patients  receive  religious  instruc- 
tion, and  the  very  marked  change  which  takes  place  in 
them  while  in  the  hospital. 

''When  I  first  commenced  visiting  there,  it  was  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  I  could  speak  to  any  one  upon  re- 
ligious subjects ;  but  the  kindness  with  which  all  I  said 
was  received,  and  the  increasing  interest  I  felt  in  the  work, 
soon  made  what  was  before  a  task  a  pleasure.  While 
speaking  to  others  of  the  love  of  Christ,  my  own  heart 


THEIR   SAYIiYGS  AND   DOINGS. 


75 


warms  to  Him,  and  I  feel  thankful  that  He  has  allowed  me 
to  labor  in  such  a  field. 

"I  have  noticed  that  the  more  closely  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion is  presented  to  each  man  individually,  the  greater 
is  the  influence  exerted,  and  the  more  marked  the  change 
which  takes  place  in  his  character.  In  approaching  the 
men  I  have  never  been  repulsed,  if  I  may  except  the 
seeming  indifference  of  poor  W.,  nor  have  they  shown 
unwillingness  to  enter  into  conversation;  on  the  contrary, 
they  frequently  express  pleasure  at  the  in^terest  taken  in 
them.  It  is  a  glorious  work,  and  the  only  drawback  to  me 
is  in  myself,  for  I  feel  how  incompetent  I  am  to  do  my  duty 
there,  and  while  I  have  so  great  a  desire  to  be  useful,  I  am 
the  means  of  doing  so  very  little. 

"  It  must  be  delightful  to  feel,  as  you  surely  must,  that 
you  are  the  means  of  doing  so  much  good ;  and  I  pray 
most  earnestly  that  God's  greatest  blessing  may  rest  upon 
you,  and  that  your  reward  may  be  an  increased  encourage- 
ment in  your  work. 

^'Another  cause  of  encouragement  is  the  interest  the 
people  in  the  neighborhood  seem  to  take  in  their  connec- 
tion with  the  hospital.  Until  lately  I  have  always  very 
much  disliked  visiting  from  house  to  house ;  but  now  I 
really  enjoy  it,  resulting  from  the  pleasant  and  hearty 
manner  in  which  I  have  always  been  received.  They  enter 
very  freely  into  conversation,  and  seem  pleased  with  the 
attention  of  the  call,  and  I  have  rarely  left  a  house  without 
an  invitation  to  repeat  the  visit." 

''My  DEAR :    In  justice  to  you  and  to  myself,  I 

want  to  thank  you  for  letting  me  help  you  in  the  hospital 
work,  and  giving  me  the  (before  unknown)  joy  of  trying 
to  point  perishing  souls  to  Christ.  It  was  an  entirely  new 
experience  to  me.  Before  I  went  to  the  hospital,  beyond  a 
few  feeble  attempts  among  my  Sunday-scholars,   I  knew 


;6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

nothifig  of  speaking  to  any  one  upon  the  subject  of  personal 
religion.  Nor  diei  I  realize,  when  I  first  promised  to  go, 
what  the  work  really  was;  I  had  a  vague  idea  that  we  were 
to  read  to,  and  entertain,  the  patients.  When  I  found  that 
this  was  not  all,  but  that  something  more  was  intended,  I 
cannot  tell  how  I  shrank  from  it,  or  how  hard  it  was  to  say 
the  first  word  of  a  personal  character.  It  was  easy  to  com- 
ment upon  our  reading,  but  to  apply  it  was  the  difficulty. 
But  when,  by  God's  grace,  and  with  help  from  you,  I  did 
break  the  ice,  the  difficulties  seemed  to  vanish  ;  and,  more- 
over, the  very  act  of  so  doing  has  so  warmed  up  my  own 
cold  heart,  that  it  has  made  my  Sunday-school  teaching  a 
different  thing.  In  regard  to  my  religious  experience,  this 
has  been  the  happiest  winter  of  my  life.  In  fact,  I  do  not 
see  how  any  one  can  attempt  to  deal  with  perishing  souls 
in  regard  to  their  spiritual  state  without  being  driven  to  the 
Source  of  all  strength,  and  made  to  feel  their  own  utter  in- 
ability to  do  anything  of  themselves ;  and  we  know,  that 
the  more  we  are  at  the  mercy-seat,  the  greater  will  be  our 
happiness.  And  then,  too,  how  it  sends  us  to  the  Bible  ! 
We  feel  that  we  must  be  able  to  give  an  answer  for  the 
reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  us,  and  be  ready  to  reply  to 
any  cavils  or  objections.  This  work  at  the  hospital  has 
also  been  the  means  of  driving  me  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross 
with  my  precious  burden,  for  we  cannot  do  the  work  in  our 
own  strength,  and  therefore  we  must  be  incessantly  at  the 
mercy-seat  in  prayer. 

"Another  thing  I  have  learned  this  winter, — how  ready 
the  careless  and  indifferent  are  to  listen  to  the  gospel  mes- 
sage, and  to  listen,  too,  with  respect  and  interest.  Of  all 
to  whom  I  have  spoken  this  winter,  only  one  seemed  averse 
to  the  subject,  and  that  was  W.,  with  whom  you  have  had 
similar  experience,  I  think.  This  fact  has  made  a  great 
impression  on  me,  for  I  had  always  thought  that  there 
would  be,  by  many,  a  turning  away  from  the  subject,  espe- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  -7 

cially  when  presented  to  them  by  a  woman  ;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  there  has  been  almost  an  eager  interest  on  the 
part  of  some  to  whom  I  have  spoken,  and  sometimes  I  have 
been  deeply  humbled  when  I  have  come  to  them, — feeling 
myself  cold  and  lifeless,  and  conscious  that  I  could  not 
speak  from  the  heart  of  the  love  of  Christ,  by  finding  that 
they  were  not  only  ready,  but  anxiously  listening  to  every 
word  I  said.  Those  were  times  when  I  was  humbled  to  the 
dust,  and  driven  to'  the  Fountain  opened  for  sin,  with  a 
consciousness  that  I  could  never  face  those  men  again  with- 
out feeling  from  the  hea7't  all  that  m.y  lips  tried  to  utter. 
From  a  full  heart  I  can  bless  the  hospital  for  all  that  it  has 
done  for  me.  It  has  made  me  see  myself  as  I  never  did 
before,  and  sent  me,  as  a  helpless  sinner,  right  humbly  to 
One  who  is  mighty  to  save. 

"Have  you  not  noticed,  lately,  an  increasing  and  very 
general  seriousness,  particularly  in  the  men's  ward?  There 
has  always  been  a  readiness  to  hear,  but  lately  I  have  no- 
ticed a  seriousness  and  ripeness  for  the  gospel.  I  have  no 
doubt  your  Bible-class  has  done  much  to  wake  up  this 
spirit,  and  that  it  has  been  prospered  and  strengthened  by 
the  daily  ward  services.  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  God 
has  been  sending  us  a  special  blessing  lately.  May  we  be 
found  faithful  in  carrying  the  blessed  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus 
to  perishing  souls  !" 

*'  My  dear :  I  have  promised  a  reply  to  your  oft- 
repeated  question,  '  How  do  you  begiji  the  subject  of  religion 
with  the  patients  in  the  hospital  ?'  It  is  a  very  difficult 
question  to  answer  satisfactorily  to  myself,  for,  as  you  say, 
*  there  can  be  no  set  way  applicable  to  all  men.' 

"  Suppose  you  follow  me  in  an  imaginary  visitation  of  the 
ward.  You  must  be  invisible,  for  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
it  is  wiser 'to  approach  alone,  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
one  of  whose  case  you  know  nothing.    Here  is  a  new  face; 

7" 


78  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

let  us  stop,  inquire  how  long  he  has  been  ill,  is  he  comfort- 
able, etc.,  showing  an  interest  in  his  physical  well-being. 
'Are  you  well  enough  to  read  ?'  *  Oh,  yes,  if  I  get  what  I 
like.'  'What  do  you  like?'  He  will  intimate  what  class 
of  books  he  prefers.  If  such  are  not  in  the  library,  get  the 
nearest  to  them  in  kind,  and,  after  talking  of  them  for 
awhile,  say,  '  Here  is  a  book  more  interesting  to  me  than 
any  of  those,  and  one  I  never  tire  of — the  Bible  of  course. 
This  will  soon  give  the  key  to  his  condition,  moral  and 
spiritual. 

''  Pass  on, —  another  stranger.  '  I  have  just  supplied  your 
neighbor  with  a  book ,  will  you  have  one  ?'  '  I  don't  care 
much  for  one  to-day;  I  have  been  reading  till  I  am  tired.' 
'Ah,  I  see  upon  your  table  a  tract  I  think  very  impressive, 
— ^John  Bolton's  First  Prayer.'  'Yes,  it  is  quite  interest- 
ing.' '  I  hope  you  have  made  jF^z/r  first  prayer  long  ago  ?' 
The  answers  to  such  questions  will  be  diverse.  If  the  ac- 
knowledgment be  made  that  no  prayer  has  been  offered 
since  those  made  at  a  mother's  knee,  this  opens  a  wide  door, 
and  an  effectual  one,  to  whatever  you  may  wish  to  say  on 
the  duty,  privilege,  and  necessity  of  prayer. 

"Again.  Here  is  an  Englishman.  '  How  long  has  he 
been  in  this  country  ?'  etc.  Perhaps  he  is  not  well  enough 
to  read.  'Would  he  like  to  have  some  one  read  to  him  ?' 
'Oh,  yes,  he  is  never  tired  of  that.'  'Well,  here  is  the 
touching  little  "Story  of  Lucknow."  '  '  Is  it  about  the  In- 
dian rebellion?  he  would  like  anything  dhowX.  that.'  I  have 
read  this  hundreds  of  times, — never  without  emotion,  and 
never  without  eliciting  interest  and  attention.  It  forms  an 
admirable  introduction  to  what  you  may  wish  to  say  of  a 
personal  interest  in  a  living  Saviour. 

"  Once  more.  Lay  this  little  book  on  the  next  table. 
It  is  a  tract  called  'The  Invitation.'  The  patient  takes  it 
up  and  asks,  '  Is  this  for  me?'  '  Yes,  I  give  you  the  invi- 
tation and  hope  you  will  say  Yes. '     Perhaps  I  read  a  page, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS, 


79 


then  leave  it  and  say  that  I  will  call  for  my  answer  to- 
morrow, and  I  try  never  to  forget  to  keep  these  appoint- 
ments. 

**Here  is  one  who  looks  soured  and  disappointed,  as  if 
the  world  had  dealt  hardly  with  him.  Shall  we  have  a  wel- 
come here  ?  We  must  not  be  hasty.  Remember  that,  in 
in  all  cases,  we  must  not  give/Z/y  but  sympathy.  We  must 
not  seem  to  let  ourselves  down  to  the  level  of  those  whom 
we  would  serve,  but  make  them  realize  that  we  feel  with 
them  as  well  2i's,for  them.  This  poor  fellow  looks  lonely, 
desolate.  We  will  sit  down  by  him  and  remark,  '  It  is  hard 
to  be  sick  among  strangers ;  we  hope  he  will  soon  feel  at 
home ;  we  want  to  do  all  we  can  to  cheer  and  comfort  him; 
he  must  consider  us  his  friends  while  he  is  there ;  has  he  a 
mother  at  home  ?  would  he  like  a  letter  written  to  her  ?' 
etc.  If  not  at  this  interview,  assuredly  at  the  next,  if  we 
are  kind  and  exercise  a  little  womanly  tact,  the  heart  will 
be  unburdened  of  some  of  its  sorrows,  and  opportunity 
given  to  point  to  Him  who  was  the  man  of  sorrows  and 
acquainted  with  grief,  who  alone  can  bind  up  our  wounds 
and  heal  our  infirmities. 

''  Here  is  one  who  has  been  knocking  about  the  world, 
away  from  home  and  domestic  influences,  for  years.  Let  us 
interest  ourselves  in  his  journeyings  and  voyages.  When 
he  is  warmed  up  by  the  interest  we  have  shown  in  him, 
perhaps  we  ask  if  his  heart  does  not  turn  sometimes  with 
longing  to  his  home  and  his  mother?  if  he  is  not  weary  of 
this  roving,  restless  life  ?  We  speak  to  him  of  the  welcome 
which  awaits  him  at  home,  and  soon  you  can  tell  him  the 
beautiful  parable  of  the  prodigal  son,  and  show  how  he  has 
perhaps  wandered  farther  from  his  heavenly  Father's  home 
than  from  his  mother's  fireside. 

"In  most  of  the  cases  which  we  have  imagined,  occasion 
would  be  found  to  read  some  passages  of  Scripture,  and 
always  it  is  very  desirable  to  press  upon  those  we  have  been 


8o      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

talking  to  the  interesting  nature  of  God's  Word,  as  well  as 
its  value  and  importance.  The  narratives  of  Scripture  have 
a  charm,  you  know,  even  to  those  not  appreciating  the 
saving  truths  they  inclose ;  and  the  promise  is,  '  My  word 
shall  not  return  to  me  void.' 

''  I  might  go  on  thus  imagining  cases  such  as  are  occur- 
ring in  my  every-day  experience,  but  these  will  suffice.  I  am 
glad  to  know  that  you  feel  with  me  that  it  is  wonderful  to 
see  the  readiness  with  which  the  roughest  of  our  patients 
receive  religious  counsel  and  instruction.  Surely  we  should 
be  diligent  in  availing  ourselves  of  such  opportunities,  and 
earnest  in  praying  for  the  constant  help  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit,  giving  us  a  mouth  and  wisdom  to  meet  each  case  as 
it  presents  itself.  We  need  to  have  our  own  hearts  more 
and  more  warmed  with  the  love  of  Christ,  so  shall  we  best 
be  able  to  commend  Him  to  others.  We  must  feel  our  own 
weakness  and  insufficiency,  so  shall  we  be  led  humbly  to 
Him  who  has  promised  to  be  our  strength,  and  through 
whom  we  can  do  all  things. 

'*  In  our  work,  and  especially  in  opening  the  subject  with 
a  stranger,  we  need  to  pray  for  a  right  judgment  as  well  as 
for  an  earnest,  loving  spirit. 

* '  This  blessed  work  is  rarely  if  ever  carried  on  to  a  success- 
ful co/npletion  until  we  have  prayed  repeatedly,  in  private, 
with  each  person  whom  we  are  tryi?tg  to  lead  to  Christ. 

"Ready  access  maybe  gained,  almost  without  exception, 
to  every  heart.  Some  chord  of  sympathy  is  ever  ready  to 
vibrate,  if  touched  lovingly  and  gently.  To  act  efficiently 
upon  the  conscience  and  heart  of  the  patients,  I  am  more 
and  more  satisfied  is  to  be  done  by  grappling  individually 
with  each  case.  While  I  would  not  undervalue  Scripture 
reading  or  tract  reading  to  several  persons  at  a  time,  as 
sometimes  giving  z.  preparation  of  heart  for  closer  religious 
teaching,  yet  I  have  not  found  an  instance  in  my  two  years 
and  three  months'  experience  where  a  sinner  has  thus  been 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  8 1 

led  to  the  Saviour,  or  even  to  inquire  eagerly  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  salvation,  unless  such  public  readings  have 
been  followed  by  affectionate,  close,  individual  efforts." 


RESULTS   AND   METHODS. 

"On  the  30th  of  August,  i860,  two  mothers  went,  by 
invitation,  to  the  house  of  a  third,  to  meet  a  friend  who 
desired  to  be  useful  to  them,  and  thus  commenced  our 
mothers'  meeting.  Of  those  three  mothers,  two  are  present 
here  to-night,  the  third  is  gradually  but  surely  drawing  near 
to  her  heavenly  home.  After  a  few  weeks  the  place  of 
meeting  was  changed  to  one  of  the  smaller  rooms  in  the 
basement  of  the  church,  and  on  the  3d  of  January,  1861, 
we  were  obliged,  by  the  increase  of  our  members,  to  move 
into  this  room. 

"The  names  of  five  hundred  and  fifty  mothers  have  been 
registered  in  our  roll-book.  Of  these,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  have  removed  from  this  neighborhood,  twenty- 
nine  have,  from  various  causes,  given  up  their  connection 
with  us,  and  twenty-four  have  died.  The  present  number 
on  the  roll  is  three  hundred  and  thirty-eight. 

"In  October,  i860,  we  commenced  a  clothing-club,  the 
object  of  which  is  to  give  the  mothers  the  opportunity  of 
depositing,  from  week  to  week,  small  sums  of  money  for 
which  they  receive  an  equivalent  in  dry-goods  and  ready- 
made  garments,  shoes,  and,  in  some  instances,  fuel.  The 
sums  thus  deposited  have  reached  a  total  of  four  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars,  in  addition  to  which,  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  and  eighty-nine  dollars  and  eighty-seven 
cents  have  been  paid  into  the  hands  of  the  Principal  of  the 
committee  for  investment  or  safe-keeping. 


82         ■     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

"  Important  as  it  is  for  our  mothers  to  acquire  habits  of 
frugality  and  economy,  and  by  a  little  self-denial  and  care 
in  the  present,  to  make  provision  for  future  needs,  we  con- 
sider this  as  but  a  small  part  of  the  results  of  our  work. 
Of  our  five  hundred  and  fifty  mothers,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-three  have  been  added  to  the  communion  of  this 
parish,  and  five  or  six  have  connected  themselves  with  other 
churches.  The  committee  consists  of  twelve  ladies,  who 
have  made,  during  the  six  years,  seventeen  thousand  visits. 
Of  the  influence  of  these  visits  it  does  not  become  us  to 
speak,  but  if  we  had  done  nothing  more  than  carry  with  us 
the  kindly  sympathizing  heart,  and  utter  words  of  counsel 
and  cheer,  our  work  would  not  have  been  in  vain.  The 
result  will  be  known  in  eternity." 

Truly  extraordinary  '^  results"  are  modestly  testified  to 
in  the  foregoing  report,  which  was  made  at  an  anniversary 
of  a  mothers'  meeting.  Is  it  not  startling  that  a  new  and 
inexpensive  agency,  in  full  accord  with  the  principles  of  the 
Church,  should,  in  one  parish,  within  six  years,  have  sought 
out  five  hundred  and  fifty  mothers,  drawn  them  to  God's 
house,  supervised  their  home  duties,  and  been  instrumental 
in  bringing  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  of  them  into 
full  communion  with  the  Church  ?  Think  of  the  effect  of 
five  thousand  visits  now  paid  annually  by  intelligent,  prayer- 
ful ladies,  who  come  fresh  from  their  own  home-cares,  with 
ready  sympathy  and  with  still  increasing  efficiency  through 
experience  gained  by  these  visits !  At  some  houses  they 
receive  much  more  than  they  impart,  for  many  of  these 
hitherto-neglected  mothers,  although  poor  in  this  world, 
are  now  rich  in  faith  and  good  works.  Some  of  them 
learned  to  read  and  write  at  the  weekly  meeting,  and  others 
were  there  taught  so  intelligently  and  kindly,  how  to  prac- 
tice their  duties  as  wives  and  mothers,  that  an  unprece- 
dentedly  large  number  of  husbands  and  older  sons  have  by 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  ^-^ 

their  aid  been  gathered  into  Bible-classes  and.  brought  to 
Christ  in  his  Church.  Neither  the  rector  of  the  parish  nor 
his  lay  helpers  had  any  previous  experience  in  this  work  ; 
indeed,  there  were  few  who  had  any  faith  in  it,  visitors  were 
procured  with  much  persuasion,  and  the  good  work  was 
retarded  by  many  experimental  trials. 

Mothers  who  seemed  to  be  the  farthest  from  God  were 
first  sought  out,  and  although  charity  dictates  such  a  course, 
yet  a  taint  is  thus  given  to  the  association  that  it  costs  much 
effort  to  remove.  If  a  better  class  of  women  are  first  banded 
together,  these  will  prove  useful,  in  the  way  of  imparting 
some  knowledge  of  handicraft  or  home-duties  to  the  less 
favored,  and  of  affording  them  that  religious  companion- 
ship so  needful  to  promote  Christian  stability. 

That  this  better  class  can  be  drawn  in,  even  through  a 
seemingly  closed  door,  is  shown  by  the  subjoined  experience 
of  a  visitor.  It  is  very  encouraging  to  know  that  the  case 
referred  to  by  her  is  the  only  one  yet  found  where  there  has 
been  an  open  and  persistent  opposition  to  Christianity,  and 
even  in  this  case,  no  threat  of  insult  to  wife  or  lady  visitor 
has  ever  been  fulfilled. 

The  second  case  reported,  shows  how  the  visitor  can  be 
useful  to  children,  and  the  third  illustrates  the  interminable 
extension  of  this  work,  reaching  even  to  outcasts  from 
society.  To  some,  these  details  will  be  uninstructive,  while 
to  the  sensitive,  timid  woman  they  are  of  inestimable  value, 
enabling  her  to  see  how  she  can  become  "  a  good  steward 
of  the  manifold  grace  of  God."  W. 

Dear  Sir, — As  you  think  our  experience  will  be  useful 
to  others,  I  will,  at  your  instance,  extract  from  my  record 
the  case  of  a  woman  of  uncommon  refinement ;  and  then 
tell  how  children  are  benefited  by  the  visitor ;  and  lastly, 
show  how  this  agency  may  be  extended  even  to  the  outcast. 

Nothing  affords  me  so  much  pleasure  as  to  mark  the  ini' 


84      WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

provement  of  these  people,  in  all  their  ways,  when  con- 
stantly visited,  to  note  their  reverence  for  holy  things  and 
love  to  God,  their  charity  for  each  other,  and  their  constant 
attendance  upon  the  services  of  the  Church.  How  might 
our  beautiful  Zion  become  ''  a  praise  in  the  earth"  were  we 
all  earnestly  engaged  in  gathering  in  these  untutored  ones, 
for  they  indeed  often  become  ornaments  of  grace,  and  give 
evidence  of  true  piety  in  heart  and  life. 

My  Edith,  as  I  am  accustomed  to  call  Mrs.  D.,  is  an 
unusual  example  of  purity  and  loveliness.  She  is  by  nature 
gentle,  delicate  in  feelings,  tender,"  with  a  clear  apprecia- 
tion of  right,  and  but  little  tendency  to  wrong.  But  with 
all  this,  up  to  the  period  at  which  she  began  to  attend  our 
''mothers'  meeting,"  she  had  little  knowledge  of  God's 
ways  with  man,  no  clear- idea  of  the  gospel,  no  habit  of 
prayer.  Previous  to  her  marriage  she  had  gone  sometimes 
to  our  church,  more  often  to  the  Methodist  meeting.  She 
married  a  man  as  unlike  herself  as  could  be.  He  is  blas- 
phemous, coarse,  cordially  hating  churches  and  all  who  go 
to  them.  For  a  long  time  he  forbade  Christians  entering 
his  house.  So  bitter  is  he  (I  must  tell  these  things  to  show 
what  ''my  Edith"  has  to  encounter)  that  on  one  occasion 
he  told  our  assistant  minister  to  leave  the  house  and  never 
come  there  again.  He  declared  to  his  wife  that  if  our 
Principal  came  there  he  would  insult  her  ;  and  on  another 
occasion,  when  I  was  making  my  monthly  visit  to  his  wife, 
he  was  in  the  back-room,  and,  calling  her,  bade  her  tell 
me  to  go,  and  when  he  wanted  me  he  would  send  for  me. 
To  give  you  a  better  idea  of  this  dear  Christian  woman,  I 
must  first  relate  some  of  our  conversations  in  her  own 
sweet  language. 

On  my  first  visit,  as  is  my  custom  if  I  know  nothing  of 
the  people,  I  talked  about  her  family,  her  mother,  her  early 
life ;  about  things  occurring  in  the  town,  etc.  I  became 
to  deeply  interested  in  her  that  I  made  four  or  five  visits 


THEIR   SA  YINGS  AND  DOINGS.  85 

during  the  month,  each  time  becoming  more  attached  to 
her.  On  one  occasion  (the  third  visit,  I  think),  I  said, 
rather  abruptly,  ''Edith,  I  wonder  you  have  never  been  a 
Christian  !"  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the  idea  that  one 
so  lovely,  gentle,  and  kind  had  never  prayed,  never  thought 
much  about  heavenly  things,  and  yet  it  was  even  so.  She 
laughed  in  her  quiet  way,  saying,  ''  I've  never  thought 
much  about  it.  Once,  before  I  was  married,  during  one 
of  the  religious  excitements  in  the  town,  I  did  for  a  little 
time  think  I  should  like  to  know  something  about  these 
things ;  and  I  read  my  Bible  a  few  times.  After  I  was 
married  I  wanted  my  husband  to  go  with  me,  but  he  would 
not,  so  I  forgot  all  about  it.  No  one  has  ever  said  any- 
thing to  me  upon  the  subject  until  now."  I  asked,  ''How 
do  you  spend  Sunday?"  "At  home  in  the  morning; 
walking  about  in  the  afternoon."  "Edith,  has  it  never 
occurred  to  you  that  this  is  wrong?  for  Sunday  is  not 
yours."  "  No,  I  have  never  thought  that ;  but  still  I  have 
had  strange  longings  after  something  to  make  me  happy, — 
something  to  fill  up  my  heart,  I  suppose  I  mean."  "Dear 
Edith,  that  is  God's  whispering  to  your  unsatisfied  soul, 
which  absolutely  needs  the  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  lead 
you  to  Christ."  Her  reply  was,  "  How  can  I  become  a 
Christian,  if  that  is  what  I  want?"  I  said,  "Let  me  tell 
you  first  how  God  has  manifested  his  love  for  you."  And 
then  I  told  her  that  "sweet  story  of  old," — the  anguish 
of  the  Son  of  God  in  the  deep  shades  of  Gethsemane ; 
how  He  saw  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  was  satisfied  ; 
how  He  says,  "  Come  and  believe  and  be  saved."  I  shall 
never  forget  that  sweet  face  as  she  listened.  At  last  she 
said,  in  a  trembling  voice,  "Oh,  I  love  Him  now! — how 
can  I  help  it?"  Neither  of  us  could  speak  again  for  a 
moment.  Then  I  put  my  arm  around  her  neck,  kissed  her 
pure  brow,  and  said,  "Shall  we  kneel  down  and  ask  our 
heavenly  Father  for  all  you  still  need?     Already  you  have 

8 


S6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

his  Spirit,  and  we  can  thank  Him  for  that."  Hand-in- 
hand  we  knelt  and  poured  our  full  hearts  out  to  the  Father 
who  heareth  in  secret.  In  no  hour  of  my  life  have  I 
known  purer  happiness  than  when  Edith  cast  herself  at 
the  foot  of  the  Cross.  There  was  no  struggling  in  that 
soul  j  single-minded,  she  heard,  she  believed,  she  loved. 
I  felt  that  day,  and  have  thought  many  times  since,  that 
God  would  soon  transplant  her  into  his  heavenly  garden. 
As  she  grew  in  knowledge  of  her  Redeemer,  she  seemed 
to  be  too  pure  for  earth.  But  God's  ways  are  not  as  our 
ways,  for  she  is  still  with  us,  and  none  would  like  to  give 
her  up. 

On  one  occasion,  when  her  husband  had  been  more 
than  usually  ill-tempered  about  her  going  to  any  place  of 
worship,  she  said  to  me,  ''Oh,  I  sometimes  think  I  cannot 
bear  it,  and  then  I  think  of  Jesus,  of  his  patience,  how 
long  he  bore  with  me,  how  many  years  I  might  have  loved 
Him  and  did  not,  and  this  humbles  me  and  helps  me  to 
try  and  pray  and  to  do  my  duty.  I  often  think  my  poor 
husband  has  a  soul,  and  I  must  set  him  a  good  example. 
When  I  get  down-hearted  about  the  future,  the  long  years, 
perhaps,  that  I  must  go  on  this  way  with  no  freedom,  I 
rejoice  in  the  hope  of  that  time  when  I  shall  be  where 
nothing  shall  hinder  good."  I  talked  to  her  of  the  early 
gospel-days,  when  the  blood  of  the  apostles  and  martyrs 
was  the  seed  of  the  Church.  She  said  this  thought  made 
her  burden  light  indeed. 

Another  day — her  heart  overflowing  with  tenderness  to 

her  Redeemer — she  said,   "Oh,  Mrs.  ,  to  think  t'hat 

He  is  every  one's  Saviour  !  I  have  been  reading  the  book 
you  gave  me,  The  Cross-Bearer.  I  don't  think  I  should 
like  my  cross  to  be  otherwise  than  as  God  wills ;  but  it  is 
often  very  heavy.  Perhaps  I  do  not  cast  my  burden  upon 
Him  aright." 

Oh,  how  I  do  love  this  pure-minded  woman  !     Love, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  87 

faith,   gentleness,   peace,   are   hers ;  days  and  weeks  and 
months  are  alike. 

Poor  Edith  suffered  night  and  day,  longing  to  take  the 
Christian  name ;  for  as  yet  she  had  not  made  a  public 
confession  of  faith.  It  was  confirmation  season  soon  after 
the  Spirit's  work  was  manifested  in  her.  I  was  ill  and 
unable  to  visit  her.  Our  Principal  came  to  tell  me  she  had 
advised  Edith  not  to  come  forward  to  confirmation  this 
year,  if  it  angered  her  husband — to  wait:  perhaps  by  so 
doing  she  might  win  him.  Our  minister,  upon  having  the 
case  stated  to  him,  decided  for  her  to  wait.  So  a  year 
passed  away.  She  was  often  much  tried,  and  several  times 
was  forbidden  to  enter  the  church.  A  little  while  she  sub- 
mitted even  to  this,  praying  earnestly  for  her  husband.  I 
continued  to  see  her  at  hours  when  her  husband  would  be 
away,  and  occasionally  at  my  own  house,  and  we  would 
unite  in  prayer.  At  last  one  day  she  came  to  me  and  said, 
*' What  shall  I  do  ?  I  fear  I  am  not  doing  right.  Christ 
tells  us  to  forsake  all.  My  husband  tells  me  I  must  leave 
him  if  I  join  the  Church."  I  said,  ''  Well,  Edith,  how  far 
would  you  go  for  Christ  ?"  ''  That  is  what  I  do  not  know  ; 
I  want  you  to  put  it  before  me.  Whatdojw^  think?"  My 
reply  was,  "I  take  the  gospel  as  it  is  given;  Christ  says, 
'If  a  man  forsake  not  father  and  mother  for  my  sake,  he 
is  not  worthy  of  me.'  You  know  what  is  before  you; 
could  you  brave  the  consequences,  remembering,  too,  that 
you  have  a  child,  which  your  husband  would,  no  doubt, 
try  to  keep?"  Tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks.  It  seemed 
cruel  to  probe  so  deeply,  but  I  wanted  to  find  out  the 
strength  of  her  love  for  Christ.  "  I  think  I  must  meet  it," 
she  said;  ''indeed,  I  do.  I  can  only  pray  that  my  hus 
band  will  not  be  so  hard  as  he  talks."  "Well,  Edith,  we 
must  be  guided  by  prayer  in  this.  It  seems  to  me  it  must 
be  God's  desire  that  you  should  take  this  step  ;  but  a  wife 
and  mother  must  tread  cautiously.     We  must  be  *  wise  as 


SS  WOMEN-  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

serpents  and  harmless  as  doves,'  as  Jesus  tells  us."  I  did 
not  see  her  again  until  the  day  preceding  confirmation, 
and  then  only  for  a  few  moments.  She  put  her  arms  around 
me,  and  said,  "I  have  decided  !  I  must  do  it!  Pray  for 
me  !  I  dread  the  evening, — dread  to  tell  my  husband  that 
it  is  done!"  ''Trust,  dearest  Edith,  that  God  will  bless 
you."  Her  husband,  before  she  left  home,  raved  terribly, 
but  she  was  safe  in  the  Everlasting  Arms.  ''  Thou  shalt 
hide  them  in  the  secret  of  Thy  presence  from  the  pride  of 
man  :  Thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pavilion  from  the 
strife  of  tongues."  "Fear  ye  not  the  reproach  of  men, 
neither  be  ye  afraid  of  their  revilings."  When  she  re- 
turned home,  as  she  afterward  told  me,  she  could  hardly 
believe  her  husband  could  be  so  quiet.  This  calm  con- 
tinued until  several  things  occurred  to  sour  him,  and  then 
upon  his  wife  he  vented  his  bitter  feelings  and  words  in 
condemnation  of  Christianity.  Always  when  I  meet  him 
he  deliberately  turns  his  back  upon  me.  Once  in  a  great 
while  only,  Edith  can  be  with  us  for  a  little  time  at  the 
meeting  of  mothers ;  but  she  is  rarely  absent  from  church 
or  the  Holy  Communion.  During  these  years  she  has 
suffered  great  afflictions;  but  she  has  in  these,  as  in  other 
things,  exemplified  the  saying,  ''  Thou  shalt  keep  him  in 
perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee,"  for  not  a 
murmur  has  escaped  her  lips,  not  an  impatient  look ;  she 
thinks  it  all  for  good.  Tenderly  she  still  speaks  of  the 
past,  the  first  of  our  acquaintance,  how  she  then  learned 
to  love  the  Saviour.  ''  How  often,"  she  said,  ''do  I  think 
of  words  you  have  spoken  to  me,  of  the  little  books  you 
have  given  me,  from  which  I  have  learned  many  things ! 
I  always  think  of  you  at  the  mothers'  meeting,  wondering 
how  you  all  are.  My  husband  does  not  change ;  but  I 
know  how  good  God  is,  and  I  keep  thinking  that  some 
time  He  will  soften  his  heart."  She  reminds  me  of  these 
words  of  Isaiah,    "The  work  of  righteousness   shall    be 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  89 

peace,  and  the  effect  of  righteousness  quietness  and  assu- 
rance foreve     ' 

This  shows  how  the  gospel  can  be  carried  to  the  wife  of 
the  respectable  mechanic,  as  well  as  to  the  outcast.  Why 
should  this  seem  strange  to  us  ?  Does  not  the  book  of 
precious  promises  say,  ''Blessed  are  ye  that  sow  beside  all 
waters"?  Oh,  that  we  had  more  faith,  less  infirmity  of 
the  flesh,  filling  us  with  fear  and  trembling,  making  us  for- 
get so  often  the  words  of  our  Master,  "  For  it  is  not  ye 
that  speak,  but  the  spirit  of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in 
you"  ! 


In  one  of  my  visits  to  our  good  Mrs.  F.  J.,  I  found  her 
unusually  depressed.  She  is  often  sad,  for  she  has  very 
much  to  try  her.  I  think  few  are  called  to  pass  through 
so  many  daily  and  hourly  vexatious  cares  as  this  woman. 
On  this  particular  day  she  seemed  gloomy,  as  though  heart 
and  hand  were  both  weary  in  the  conflict,  and  must  be  sup- 
ported by  friends  and  animated  by  some  human  voice. 
Providentially  I  struck  the  key-note  of  her  sorrow  by  simply 
asking  after  her  eldest  child.  With  trembling,  and,  per- 
haps, with  some  impatience  and  harshness  in  voice  and 
manner,  she  said,  "  I  will  call  her ;  I  want  you  to  see  her." 
The  child  came,  and  the  mother  directed  her  to  stand  before 
me,  while  she  told  me  how  bad  she  was.  I  felt  for  a  mo- 
ment it  was  hard  to  know  how  to  act,  for  I  must  be  the 
child' s  friend,  and  yet  not  let  her  see  her  mother's  indis- 
cretion in  thus  harshly  laying  bare  her  faults  to  a  stranger, 
whom  I  feared  she  might,  under  the  circumstances,  look 
upon  as  a  judge  rather  than  a  loving  guide,  and  thus  make 
it  very  hard  for  me  to  benefit  her.  Her  mother  said,  ''  She 
is  indolent,  unwilling  to  assist  me  ;  runs  off  and  plays  when 
I  most  need  her."     I  pressed  the  mother's  arm  as  a  sign 

8* 


go  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

not  to  say  more,  and  called  the  child  to  me.  She  looked 
a  little  saucy  and  independent  at  first.  Then  occurred  to 
my  mind  a  little  story  I  had  once  heard,  called  *' Recol- 
lections of  a  Mother."  I  told  her  the  story,  and  she 
listened  very  attentively,  and  when  I  came  to  the  part 
which  related  the  mother's  death,  her  little  face  relaxed, 
and  her  lips  trembled.  I  said,  ''  Mary,  your  little  heart  is 
full  of  trouble,  and  you  wish  you  could  always  be  good,  do 
you  not?"  She  replied,  "Yes,  but  I  cannot."  "Sup- 
pose I  were  here  and  took  your  hands  and  helped  you  very 
kindly  every  day  to  perform  disagreeable  duties,  would  you 
love  me  and  be  glad  ?"  "  Yes,  I  would."  "  Well,  Mary, 
do  you  know  that  a  kind  Hand  wants  to  help  you  every 
day,  but  all  the  time  you  have  kept  your  eyes  shut  and 
have  not  seen  it  ?  It  was  the  same  hand  that  was  laid  on 
the  heads  of  little  children  when  that  kind  friend  said, 
*  Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me.'  Mary,  who  was 
that?"  "It  was  Jesus  Christ."  "Now,  dear  Mary,  I 
want  you  to  open  your  eyes  and  see,  and  to  open  your  ears 
and  listen,  and  Jesus  will  bless  you,  and  help  you  to  do  this 
work  for  your  mother,  and  you  will  feel  so  happy.  I  want 
you  to  ask  Him  to  walk  with  you,  and  to  speak  to  you. 
He  will  do  it,  because  He  loves  you  and  desires  to  make 
your  heart  better.  Now  we  will  kneel  down  and  ask  Him 
to  be  with  you  to-day,  and  to-morrow  you  must  ask  Him 
yourself,  before  you  come  out  of  your  room."  So  the 
mother  and  the  child  knelt  with  me  whilst  I  prayed.  She 
put  her  little  hand  in  mine  and  laid  her  head  upon  my 
shoulder.  I  could  almost  hear  her  little  heart  beat  while 
the  conflict  went  on  between  flesh  and  spirit.  I  felt  the 
tears  drop  upon  my  hand  before  we  arose,  and  I  knew  the 
spirit  had  triumphed.  I  kissed  the  little  red  cheek,  and  at 
my  bidding  she  ran  joyfully  off  to  the  sewing  her  mother 
had  given  her  to  do.  I  knew,  too,  that  the  peace  which 
passeth  understanding  could   flow  into    the   heart  of  the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  91 

child-Christian  as  well  as  into  the  full-grown  man.  The 
mother  and  I  talked  some  time.  I  told  her  I  disapproved 
of  exposing  a  child's  faults  in  its  presence.  I  thought  it 
well  for  friends  to  advise  with  each  other  about  their  chil- 
dren, or  refer  to  one  who  they  thought  had  more  experience 
than  themselves,  but  never  in  the  presence  of  the  child  ; 
that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  a  feeling  of  dislike  would  spring 
up  in  the  child's  breast  against  the  friend  called  upon  to 
listen  to  its  failings.  I  thought  she  forgot  how  young  the 
child  was,  and  that  we  all  as  parents  too  often  forget  that 
we  are  only  sowing  the  seed  in  our  children's  hearts,  and 
must  wait  for  the  harvest;  that  our  words  and  counsel 
cannot  take  root  and  bear  fruit  in  a  day.  I  used,  to  sim- 
plify my  remarks,  an  illustration  of  my  friend,  Mr. : 

*'What  would  you  think  of  a  farmer,  who,  having  sowed 
his  seed,  should  dig  it  up  every  day  to  see  if  it  had  taken 
root?"  The  woman  is  very  quick,  and  saw  directly  what  I 
meant,  and  smiling,  thanked  me  heartily  for  my  visit,  and 
wished  she  could  see  me  oftener. 


In  visiting  a  mother  we  become  acquainted  with  members 
of  her  household.  A  husband  or  son,  if  faithfully  visited, 
is  often  brought  within  the  fold,  and  others  still  are  reached 
by  this  influence,  which  widens,  like  the  circles  formed  by 
disturbing  still  waters.  Casually  meeting  their  friends  or 
relatives,  we  can  say  a  word  to  them,  which,  if  followed 
up,  may  become  the  means  of  changing  the  current  of  their 
lives.     I  will  record  one  such  case  : 

Poor  Helen  was  a  mere  child  when  I  first  met  her  at  her 
aunt's,  and  she  was  soon  to  be  a  mother.  I  shall  never 
forget  her  looks.  On  this  occasion  from  delicacy  I  did  not 
address  many  of  my  remarks  to  her.     In  my  prayer  I  did 


92 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH 


not  allude  to  Helen,  except  in  a  general  way,  governed  by 
the  same  motive  which  forbade  me  talking  with  her.  I  in- 
tended, however,  to  visit  them  again  sooner  than  was  my 
wont,  for  the  express  purpose  of  knowing  this  poor  child 
and  winding  myself  around  her  young  heart  to  catch  her 
sympathy  and  draw  her  as  a  Magdalen  to  the  feet  of  the 
Saviour.  On  my  return  home  I  made  her  a  subject  of 
earnest  prayer,  and  this  I  did  for  many  days.  On  my  next 
visit  to  the  family,  almost  the  first  thing  that  I  heard  was, 
''  Helen  says  you  prayed  for  everybody  but  her  the  other 
day,  therefore  she  thinks  she  is  too  bad  to  be  prayed  for 
and  you  will  let  her  go  to  hell."  Poor  child,  how  little 
she  knew  of  what  was  going  on  in  my  mind  respecting  her ! 
While  there,  I  sat  very  close  to  her  and  read  and  talked  of 
the  Redeemer  s  agony  in  Gethsemane,  and  his  blood  shed 
upon  Calvary,  endeavoring  to  fill  her  mind  with  awe  at  the 
fearful  state  of  sinners  before  such  a  loving  God,  since 
nothing  could  atone  for  their  guilt  but  the  life  of  the  Holy 
One,  even  the  Son  of  God.  I  wanted  her  to  be  thoroughly 
aroused  so  as  to  realize  her  transgression  before  I  poured  in 
the  balm  of  Gilead.  Not  a  syllable  passed  her  lips.  I  re- 
frained from  asking  any  questions  relative  to  herself  or  her 
condition  ;  but  as  I  left  her  I  said,  "  Helen,  I  want  to  be 
your  friend,  if  you  will  let  me."  I  only  made  two  or  three 
more  visits  previous  to  the  birth  of  her  child.  She  was 
always  silent,  and  I  thought  sullen ;  it  seemed  as  if  she 
could  not  easily  be  led  to  penitence.  She  was  often  treated 
by  the  family  with  a  harshness  that  was  calculated  to  make 
her  more  stubborn.  At  times  she  gave  way  to  great  violence 
of  temper  ;  on  one  occasion,  when  an  aged  relative  sneered 
at  her,  she  struck  her  a  severe  blow.  I  went  to  see  her 
when  her  babe  was  five  days  old,  and  took  the  child  in  my 
arms.  Poor  girl !  I  should  fail  if  I  tried  to  describe  that 
visit.  The  flood-gates  of  her  heart  were  opened.  Throw- 
ing her  arms  about  my  neck  she  sobbed,  *'  You  do  love  me 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  93 

and  will  not  cast  me  off ;  you  will  help  me  to  be  good  ! ' ' 
I  held  her  and  soothed  her;  pointed  her  to  the  sinner's 
Friend  ;  told  her  the  kind,  loving  words  of  Jesus,  and  that 
Christ  had  only  died  because  of  love  towards  us,  therefore 
in  sorrow,  not  in  anger.  He  beheld  her ;  that  she  must  look 
up  to  her  Father  in  heaven  and  ask  Him  to  forgive  her  for 
Jesus'  sake  ;  she  must  pray  for  the  Holy  Spirit  to  come  into 
her  heart,  and  He  would  guide  her  aright.  I  saw  the  tears 
stealing  down  her  cheeks,  and  unfolding  my  arms  from 
about  her,  I  knelt  down  and  offered  a  few  words  of  prayer 
unto  Him  who  is  never  deaf  to  the  cry  of  penitence,  know- 
ing that  He  would  not  break  the  bruised  reed.  At  every 
subsequent  visit,  I  found  her  ready  to  be  taught,  but  she 
dreaded  the  future  which  looked  so  terrible  to  her.  One 
day  she  told  me  her  sad  story. 

Her  babe  lived  but  a  few  months.  The  following  year 
Helen  became  a  communicant  of  the  Church.  Four  years 
have  since  rolled  around,  and  she  has  not  strayed  from  the 
fold.  She  comes  to  me  for  advice  in  everything.  Tempta- 
tions she  has  not  escaped,  but  by  God's  grace  she  has  thus 
far  escaped  from  sin.  Her  past  history  exposes  her  to  in- 
sult from  both  the  thoughtless  and  the  unprincipled  of  the 
other  sex,  and  it  has  been  hard  for  her  to  bear  the  con- 
temptuous laugh  and  sneering  remark  of  her  fellow-workers. 

Through  this  girl,  my  sympathy  for  the  fallen  has  in- 
creased tenfold.  If  the  hand  of  kindness  and  Christian 
forbearance  had  not  been  extended  to  her  in  the  hour  of 
her  misery  and  degradation,  it  is  more  than  probable  she 
would  have  rushed  into  ruin  to  escape  the  taunts  of  injudi- 
cious friends.  Weak  and  helpless,  she  would  perhaps  have 
made  a  few  feeble  struggles  to  tread  the  path  of  virtue,  and 
then  would  have  yielded  to  the  strong  temptations  that  be- 
set her.  My  prayer  is,  that  she  may  continue  to  ask  grace 
to  remain  faithful  unto  the  end.     That  this  girl  should  have 


94 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH 


come  under  our  notice  seemed  to  be  entirely  accidental. 
Guided  by  the  unseen  Hand  to  the  home  of  a  member  of 
our  mothers'  meeting,  she  was  brought  under  our  influence 
and  care.  There  are  just  such  wandering  sheep  everywhere ; 
and  shall  we  whose  souls  are  lighted  with  heavenly  truth 
sit  idle  whilst  our  sisters  are  perishing  at  our  doors  ?  Shall 
we  not  pray  that  more  of  the  favored  ones  of  earth  will  use 
the  precious  gifts  of  time  and  opportunity,  woman's  heart 
and  woman's  sympathy,  in  leading  the  erring  back  into  the 
paths  of  virtue  ? 

So  does  the  influence  of  our  mothers'  meeting  extend 
from  heart  to  heart  and  home  to  home.  On  all  sides  work 
opens,  and  there  is  far  more  to  be  done  than  there  are 
hands  and  hearts  ready  to  do  it.  Neither  is  it  necessary 
that  only  mothers  of  families  should  do  this  work  in  our 
Church.  Are  there  not  also  daughters,  lovely  and  beloved, 
whose  hearts  are  touched  by  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Ah,  they 
need  not  vainly  try  to  seek  in  fiction  satisfying  food  for  the 
heart !  In  yonder  narrow  street  or  lane  they  will  find  no 
imaginary  objects  of  sympathy,  but  sad  hearts,  crushed 
spirits,  perishing  souls  for  whom  our  Saviour  suff'ered.  The 
daughter,  under  the  guidance  of  her  mother  and  pastor, 
could  aid  in  this  work :  the  simplest  child  can  be  a  soul- 
gatherer,  by  giving  the  cup  of  cold  water  only.  No  espe- 
cial knowledge  is  needed  to  labor  for  Christ,  only  a  heart 
that  has  been  touched  by  Him,  and  is  thus  prepared  to  be 
touched  by  the  story  of  another's  woe. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  95 


WELCOME    MESSENGERS. 

CoNYBEARE  thus  renders  St.  Paul's  quotation  from  Isaiah  : 
'*  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  bear  the  glad 
tidings  of  peace,  that  bear  the  glad  tidings  of  good  things !" 

This  hopeful  declaration  of  the  poetic  prophet,  repeated 
by  the  zealous  apostle  who  \vas  honored  with  the  only  re- 
corded visit  of  the  ascended  Saviour,  has  almost  ceased  to 
be  believed.  The  chief  part  even  of  baptized  people  in 
Christian  lands  are  estranged  from  the  Church,  because  she 
believes  in  the  communion  of  saints  as  an  article  of  faith 
instead  of  exercising  it  as  a  practical  principle,  and  also 
because  she  selects  one  of  the  many  authorized  modes  of 
telling  the  glad  tidings  of  a  complete  salvation  ;  and  thus 
restricts  her  teaching  mainly  to  public  and  formal  addresses 
from  the  pulpit  and  desk.  The  traveler  who  has  con- 
sciously lost  his  way,  will  gladly  welcome  the  most  humble 
guide  who  manifests  a  willing,  sympathizing  spirit,  although 
he  may  indignantly  reject  one  who  chides  for  heedlessness 
or  claims  the  right  to  censure  sharply. 

St.  Peter  said  to  the  sorcerer,  "Thy  heart  is  not  right  in 
the  sight  of  God,"  "because  thou  hast  thought  that  the 
gift  of  God  may  be  purchased  with  money."  What  would 
that  apostle  say  to  any  modern  church  where  the  rich  pur- 
chase their  privileges  with  large  sums  of  money,  and  give 
alms  with  a  few  obscure  seats  to  the  abject  poor,  whilst  the 
great  body  of  laboring  people  are  passed  by  without  obser- 
vation? On  this  subject  the  Church  Congress,  held  in 
England  last  October,  gives  evidence  of  a  great  spiritual 
awakening,  by  an  earnest  desire  to  return  to  primitive 
usages;  and  in  this  country  some  of  the  simple  gospel 
modes  have  already  been  successfully  tested,  and  holy 
women  are  again  the  foremost  messengers  of  glad  tidings, 
— bishops,  parish   ministers,  and    chaplains   testifying   to 


96 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH 


their  marvelous  success  with  lads,  men  and  women  of  the 
working-class,  just  where  the  Church  has  hitherto  signally 
failed. 

So  many  ministers  and  lay  people  are  earnestly  desiring 
to  know  how  they  can  be  delivered  from  blood-guiltiness, 
that  some  of  the  most  successful  workers  have  so  far  over- 
mastered their  strong  desire  to  avoid  observation,  as  to 
allow  the  publication  of  extracts  from  their  private  diaries. 

The  following  papers  tell  of  successful  work  in  a  field 
that  had  been  abandoned  as  hopeless,  because  so  few  came 
to  the  public  services  of  the  Church.  A  large  harvest  was 
there  reaped  in  a  single  season  by  a  lady  residing  some 
miles  from  the  field,  she  only  giving  one-fourth  of  each 
week-day,  and  most  of  Sunday,  to  the  work,  under  the 
sanction  of  her  bishop.  Her  power  lies  in  the  issues  of 
her  heart,  and  not  of  her  purse ;  and  the  extract  of  a 
letter  to  her  (printed  at  the  end  of  this  paper  without 
altering  a  sentence  or  even  a  word),  shows  that  the  edu- 
cated can  thus  be  sought  out  and  won  to  Christ  as  well  as 
the  unlettered.  W. 

My  dear  Sir, — The  missionary  work  in  our  vicinity  lies 
very  near  my  heart,  and  sometimes  makes  me  impatient  at 
the  smallness  of  our  means, — I  refer  only  to  the  human  in- 
struments we  need,  for  I  rejoice  that  we  have  not  and  need 
not  the  appliances  of  Dorcas  and  Aid  Societies. 

A  mothers'  meeting,  now  numbering  sixty  women,  has 
been  held  weekly  since  September.  There  is  no  induce- 
ment whatever  held  out  to  these  women,  except  the  advan- 
tages of  religious  conversation  with,  and  instruction  from, 
their  visitor,  and  the  pleasure  of  social  intercourse  with 
each  other  in  a  cheerful  room,  well  lighted  and  warmed. 
They  bring  their  own  work  and  sew  all  the  evening.  A 
tract  of  a  narrative  kind  is  usually  read,  interspersing  the 
reading  with  remarks  of  a  practical  nature.     As  much  con- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  97 

versation  with  individuals  as  can  be  had,  is  held  by  the 
visitor  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  At  the  close,  a  por- 
tion of  Scripture  is  read  and  explained  occasionally  by  the 
chaplain,  when  he  is  present,  usually  by  the  lady  in  charge. 
After  prayer  and  singing,  the  meeting  is  closed. 

This  part  of  our  work  gives  great  promise  of  usefulness, 
but  more  visitors  are  needed.  Not  a  week  passes  without 
applications  from  some  of  these  families,  begging  for  visits 
from  ladies,  whose  advice  and  sympathy  they  want  in  their 
troubles,  cares,  and  perplexities.  For  pecuniary  or  material 
aid  we  are  never  asked  ;  for  such  comfort  and  instruction 
as  we  are  able  to  give,  we  have  the  daily  blessings  and 
prayers  of  these  poor  sisters  of  ours,  who  feel  honored  and 
benefited  by  the  Christian  attentions  and  suggestions  of 
ladies  superior  to  them  in  experience,  position,  and  edu- 
cation. 

Would  that  the  city  churches  could  spare  more  laborers 
from  their  overflow  of  communicants  to  come  to  this  subur- 
ban field,  and  aid  in  reaping  the  abundant  harvest !  Sure 
it  is,  that  the  city  parishes  would  be  the  gainers  by  thus 
making  workers  of  some  who  are  now  folding  their  hands, 
because  there  seejjis  nothing  for  them  to  do  in  connection 
with  the  parish  church.  Owing  to  your  urgent  solicitation, 
I  give  you  the  following  extract  from  my  very  imperfect 
diary  : 

November  12th. — Visiting  Street,  with  a  view  of 

"  p  ospecting"  the  neighborhood,  I  knocked  at  the  door 
of  No.  220;  it  was  partially  opened  by  a  woman,  some- 
what refined  in  appearance,  who  very  curtly  told  me  she 
had  no  children  old  enough  for  Sunday-school;  that  she 
went  nowhere  to  church.  She  did  not  seem  inclined  to 
have  me  enter,  and  I  was  about  to  retire,  when  I  thought 
a  moment  and  said,  ''I  would  like  to  come  in  and'talk  to 
you  a  few  moments."  She  said,  with  deep  feeling,  "I  have 
a  dying  child  in  the  next  room."     I  went  in  and  saw  a 

E  9 


98  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

beautiful  boy  of  fourteen  months,  whose  life  I  thought  was 
numbered  by  hours  only.  I  spent  an  hour  with  her,  talking 
to  her  of  the  sweet  comforts  which  Jesus  could  give,  and  of 
his  grace,  to  which  she  seemed  a  stranger.  Before  I  left, 
I  prayed  earnestly  for  the  child's  recovery,  if  God  willed  it 
so,  that  he  might  be  raised  up  to  glorify  his  Father  in 
heaven;  also,  pleading  for  the  sanctifying  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  upon  the  mother.  She  thanked  me  warmly ; 
was  much  affected,  and  invited  me  to  come  again.  A  week 
passed  and  I  was  not  well  enough  to  go  again,  so  I  asked 

Mr.  if  he  would  call  and  see  the  mother.     I  thought 

the  little  one  was  most  probably  gathered  home   to  the 

Saviour's  arms.     Mr.  called,  and  sent  me  word  that 

the  child  was  recovering,  Mrs.  D attributing  its  re- 
covery to  my  prayers.  ''  The  child  from  that  time  began 
to  amend."  She  was  intensely  anxious  to  see  me.  Before 
I  could  go,  another  message  of  like  import  was  brought  to 
me,  with  the  addition,  that  she  intended  to  give  the  chili 
to    me.     After  this  I  visited  her  several    times.     I    said, 

*'Mrs.  D ,  if  this  child  is  mine,  I  give  him  to  Christ." 

She  was  much  affected,  said  her  own  baptism  had  been  in 
infancy  in  the  Church  of  England,  but  her  preferences  were 
all  for  the  Baptist  Church  now  ;  that  she  did  not  hold  to 
infant  baptism,  but  for  the  sake  of  having  my  interest  and 
prayers  for  her  child,  she  longed  to  have  him  baptized  if 
I  would  consent  to  be  his  god-mother.  She  had  always 
thought  the  theory  of  god-parents  an  excellent  thing  if 
carried  out.  All  this  was  spontaneous,  of  course,  on  her 
part.  I  had  many  conversations  with  her  on  this  subject ; 
also  on  the  matter  of  seeking  for  herself  an  interest  in  the 
great  salvation.  I  prayed  with  her  at  each  interview. 
Her  husband,  she  told  me,  had  once  been  a  Lutheran,  but 
for  years  before  she  knew  him,  he  had  given  up  all  con- 
nection with  any  church.  I  left  with  her,  more  than  once, 
an  invitation  for  him  to  come  to  see  me,  and  go  with  me  to 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  gg 

my  Bible-class,  which  I  had  just  commenced  at  the  house 
of  a  mechanic  in  the  neighborhood. 

December  T^ist. — I  was  told  some  one  wanted  me;  found 
a  respectable  middle-aged  man,  who  introduced  himself  to 
me  as  Mrs.  D.'s  husband,  and  thanked  me  for  my  interest  in 
his  family.  I  talked  with  him  half  an  hour  ;  urged  upon  him 
the  renewed  consecration  of  himself  to  the  service  of  the 
Saviour :  he  was  deeply  moved.  I  told  him  I  thought  his 
wife  was  feeling  an  interest  in  her  soul,  and  proposed  to  him 
that  they  should,  that  very  night,  pray  together.  I  prayed 
with  him,  and  we  then  walked  up  to  Bible-class;  after 
which  he  said,  *^I  will  begin  the  new  year  with  prayer,  as 
you  wish."  He  was  very  attentive,  and  promised  to  come 
again.  Two  or  three  weeks  after  that,  he  told  me  his  wife 
wanted  to  see  me  very  especially;  on  Tuesday  I  went. 
She  wanted  to  talk  to  me  about  her  husband.  She  '^  could 
not  tmderstand  it,  his  interest  in  the  Bible-class,  his  attend- 
ance at  church,  his  nightly  Bible  reading  and  prayer." 
She  then  told  me  that  when  she  first  gave  him  my  invita- 
tion to  come  to  class,  he  had  flatly  refused.  The  next 
Sunday  she  told  him,  if  he  did  not  attend,  she  thought 
Miss  E.  would  come  over  and  see  him  at  the  machi?te-shop. 
He  said  he  would  not  have  her  come  there  for  any  money ; 
he  guessed  he  would  have  to  go  and  see  her  once.  After 
he  left  the  door,  he  came  back,  saying  he  did  not  want  to 
go  and  would  not.  From  that  day — December  3rst,  to 
this,  June  21st — he  had  been  absent  but  once  from  Bible- 
class  and  church,  and  then  he  was  very  sick. 

Mrs.  D.  told  me  that  her  heart  was  wonderfully  touched 
when  he  told  her  he  had  promised  they  should  have  prayer 
that  night,  and  she  had  replied  to  him  that  she  felt  they 
must  begin  a  new  life,  and  this  would  be  the  first  step 
towards  it. 

January  i^th. — I  paid  a  visit  to  Mrs.  D.,  who  was  very 
much  awakened  on  the  great  subject;  mourned  that  her 


lOO  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

heart  was  so  cold.  She  had  been  an  enthusiast  in  the 
temperance  cause,  and  cannot  be  satisfied  that  she  earnestly 
desires  to  be  a  Christian  until  she  feels  the  same  thrill  of 
excitement  about  religion  that  she  had  about  temperance. 
She  had  prayed  for  more  faith,  more  love,  more  reality  in 
seeking.  I  urged  upon  her  the  simple  and  immediate  ac- 
ceptance of  a  Saviour.  He  would  bestow  upon  her  all  the 
graces  she  needed ;  if  she  mourned  over  her  coldness,  pray 
for  more  love  to  Christ ;  if  she  doubted  her  earnestness, 
pray  for  a  deeper  sense  of  sin,  and  of  her  need  of  a  Saviour. 
She  said  that  the  superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school,  where 
she  had  taught  for  a  short  time  before  her  marriage,  six 
years  ago,  had  called  last  week  to  see  her.  She  told  him 
how  she  had  fretted  and  been  unhappy  about  living  in  this 
part  of  the  city,  and  had  reproached  her  husband  for 
having  ever  taken  this  house ;  but  she  now  saw  plainly  the 
Lord  had  some  design  in  it,  and  it  was  that  some  Christian 
friend  should  be  sent  to  speak  to  them  of  a  Saviour.  After 
one  of  my  visits  in  February,  I  find  this  note:  Mrs.  D. 
is  more  settled  than  when  I  last  saw  her ;  she  thinks  her 
love  to  Christ  more  real.  Her  great  desire  is  to  consecrate 
both  her  children  in  baptism ;  she  is  uncertain  still  as  to 
its  scriptural  basis,  but  considers  that  such  a  pledge  of 
consecration  must  have  an  influence  on  a  child,  if  he  is 
reminded  of  and  trained  to  it.  At  first  she  wished  the 
youngest  baptized,  because  he  belonged  to  me,  and  I 
would  be  his  god -mother.  Now  she  felt  both  children 
must  be  dedicated,  and  she  is  now  praying  for  more 
grace  to  bring  them  up  aright.  I  prayed  with  her  that 
the  act  of  consecration  might  be  entire  on  her  own  part. 
A  week  after  this,  Mr.  D.  begged  me  to  go  home  with  him, 
if  I  could,  his  wife  was  so  anxious  to  see  me  for  some 
special  reason.  She  met  me  at  the  door  with  beaming  face, 
and  asked  me  if  I  would  go  up-stairs,  that  she  might  see 
me  alone.      She  then  said,  she  hoped  she  had  found  a 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  loi 

Saviour  and  happiness  \  thanked  God  I  had  ever  entered 
those  doors.  She  told  me  of  two  faithful  friends  who  she 
knew  had  been  long  praying  for  her ;  acknowledged  that 
she  had  been  striving  for  weeks  against  conviction  of  sin, 
*'but  that  is  all  over  now,  and  I  consecrate  myself  to  the 
service  of  Christ  from  this  time  forth."  I  said,  ''You 
intend,  then,  to  confess  Him  before  men?"  "Yes,  as 
soon  as  may  be."  "  Will  you  go  to  the  Baptist  church?" 
She  looked  surprised,  and  said,  ''I  think  I  ought  to  join 
the  church  in  which  I  mean  to  have  my  children  baptized." 
I  was  delighted  to  have  this  suggested  hy  herself;  told  her 
to  think  it  over  prayerfully,  and  ask  for  guidance.  She 
spoke  of  her  husband,  and  longed  to  see  him  ready  for 
such  a  step ;  never  had  seen  him  as  he  was  now,  so  in- 
terested and  serious  ;  he  enjoyed  the  Bible-class  so  much ; 
he  wished  it  would  last  another  hour.  I  rejoiced  her  heart 
by  telling  her  of  my  conversation  with  him  on  the  way 
over  ;  his  expressed  hope  that  "■  this  was  the  beginning  of 
a  new  life  with  him;  it  was  a  new  era,  indeed."  With 
joyful  hearts  we  united  in  prayer  and  praise.  For  some 
weeks  after  I  visited  Mrs.  D.,  her  husband  came  to  church 
alone.  He  was  ignorant  of  our  service,  and  I  was  atten- 
tive to  find  his  places  and  direct  his  use  of  the  Prayer- 
Book.  When  he  became  familiar  with  it,  I  told  him  I 
expected  him  to  do  the  same  friendly  office  for  others, 
which  he  now  does.  The  first  Sunday  Mrs.  D.  came  to 
church  she  was  completely  overcome ;  had  not  been  in  a 
place  of  worship  for  years.  Now  it  is  her  study  through 
the  week  to  manage  everything,  so  that  she  can  be  regu- 
larly at  mothers'  meeting  and  church,  making  everything 
give  way  to  this.  On  March  27th  Mr.  and  Mrs.  D.  were 
confirmed ;  and  a  week  after  their  little  ones  were  brought 
into  the  fold  of  Christ  by  baptism.  They  continue  to 
grow  in  grace,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  following  letter  re- 
ceived recently  from  Mrs.  D.  : 

Q* 


I02  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

My  dear  Friend, — I  cannot  express  the  pleasure  your 
cheering  letter  gave  me,  and  yet  you  will  think  I  have  been 
tardy  in  answering;  but  from  the  date  of  this  you  will 
perceive  I  am  away  from  home,  hence  the  delay  in  my 
getting  it. 

I  am  visiting  some  relatives  of  my  husband's,  who,  by 

the  way,  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  Church  at . 

They  are  very  kind,  and  do  everything  to  make  my  stay 
agreeable.  Another  thing  that  has  added  considerably  to 
my  pleasure  is  the  meeting  with  a  very  dear  and  valued 
friend  of  my  young  days,  who  is  now  pastor  of  another 
church  here.  You  may  judge  how  delightful  our  inter- 
course has  been,  and  what  precious  experiences  we  have 
had  to  tell  each  other,  when  I  tell  you  we  had  not  seen 
each  other  for  ten  years,  when  I  was  spending  Christmas  at 
his  fother's  house,  and  then  he  was  a  wild,  thoughtless  youth, 
and  I  just  as  giddy  a  girl,  and  we  were  both  skeptics.  I 
heard  him  preach  yesterday,  for  the  first  time,  and  I  think 
my  heart  was  never  so  thrilled.  We  have  thought  and 
talked  so  much  about  you  :  ay,  and  prayed  for  you,  too, 
that  you  might  be  restored  to  us  in  renewed  vigor  and 
strength,  to  go  on  in  your  grand,  glorious  work  of  winning 
souls  to  Jesus.  I  think  sometimes  when  my  husband  is 
praying  that  his  voice  grows  more  earnest — certainly  more 
eloquent — when  asking  a  Father's  protection  and  blessing 
on  the  dearly-loved  friend  who  was  the  means  of  bringing 
us  to  the  only  state  of  true  happiness  on  earth.  God  bless 
you  for  what  you  have  made  him  ! — he  was  always  a  good 
husband,  but,  oh  !  he  is  infinitely  dearer  and  more  precious 
now,  and  you  are  blessed,  you  will  be  blessed.  Do  you 
know,  I  often  think  in  spite  of  the  arduous  labors  you  per- 
form for  the  good  of  others,  what  a  happy  life  yours  must 
be  ;  how  much  more  real  pleasure  you  enjoy  than  those 
who  spend  their  lives  seeking  enjoyment  for  self;  how  woe- 
fully are  they  deceived  ;  and  then  when  I  think  how  many 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


103 


there  are  who,  like  ourselves,  never  lay  their  heads  on  their 
pillows  without  invoking  a  blessing  on  you,  their  benefactor. 
Oh,  is  there  not  enough  in  the  true  Christian's  life,  even  in 
this  world,  to  doubly  pay  him  for  all  it  costs,  let  alone  the 
world  to  come  !  It  seems  to  me  if  this  principle  was  preached, 
and  better  understood,  the  cause  of  Christ  would  gain  more 
converts,  and  the  Church  be  more  flourishing  than  it  is.  I 
dislike  the  theory  that  this  world  is  a  vale  of  tears,  full 
of  misery  and  woe.  It  is  not.  It  is  a  beautiful,  beautiful 
world  to  me,  and  maii  is  a  glorious  being,  only  the  blighting 
influences  of  sin  mar  either  one  or  the  other.  True,  there 
are  pains  and  troubles;  and  yet  do  not  these  very  things 
call  forth  all  the  beautiful  sympathies  and  charities  of  our 
nature?  Methinks  as  the  cuttings  and  chiselings  of  the 
sculptor's  knife  '*  lead  forth  beauty  from  the  marble  block," 
so  do  the  sharp  pains  and  troubles  we  endure  call  forth  all 
that  is  truly  lovely,  all  that  is  divine  in  us  mortals. 

You  ask  "  what  am  I  doing  for  Christ?"  I  must  tell  you 
the  truth,  painful  though  it  is  to  me :  nothiiig  at  all,  only 
loving  Him  more  and  more  every  day  I  live.  You  are 
saying,  ^'  this  is  not  right."  I  know  it,  deeply  do  I  feel  it; 
but  in  what  way  shall  I  begin  ?  Sometimes  I  say,  if  I  had 
your  time  and  yo2ir  talents ;  and  yet,  when  thinkmg  on  this 
subject,  I  have  felt  my  soul  expand  and  glow  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Spirit,  until  it  seemed  my  whole  being  would 
gush  forth  in  one  song  of  melody  to  the  Most  High,  and  I 
have  felt  God  had  given  me  some  talents  that  might  be  made 
of  use  in  his  service  if  I  only  knew  how.  Will  you  help 
me  to  pray  that  He  will  in  his  own  wisdom  give  me  some 
work  in  his  vineyard,  that  I  be  not  always  a  "cumberer  of 
the  ground ' '  ? 

Mrs.  D.'s  prayer  was  soon  answered,  as  is  shown  by  the 
following  report  of  her  first  visitation  to  persons  designated 
by  the  Principal  of  the  mothers'  meeting.  Although  her 
husband  is  a  mechanic,  yet  to  aid  in  supporting  two  aged 


I04 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH 


relatives,  Mrs.  D.  sews  for  customers,  and  is  obliged  to  go 
out  to  work  two  days  in  each  week.  Reader,  consider  that 
this  woman  was  one  year  since  living  in  irreligion,  and  now 
is  rising  before  day  to  get  a  few  hours  each  week  to  con- 
vey the  glad  tidings  to  others  less  favored  than  herself. 
Have  you  an  equal  dread  of  cumbering  the  ground  ?  The 
zeal  of  such  women  should  be  an  eifectual  rebuke  to  self- 
excusers,  who  always  say  there  must  be  ladies  of  remarkable 
intelligence,  wealth,  and  leisure,  to  make  mothers'  meetings 
successful. 

Saturday,  November  — .  I  called  on  Mrs.  Abells  and 
was  received  very  coldly ;  talked  awhile  and  succeeded  in 
awakening  a  little  interest.  She  finally  promised  to  come 
to  mothers'  meeting,  and  wishes  to  know  something  about 
having  her  children  baptized.  I  called  again  for  her  and 
brought  her  to  the  meeting.  Next  went  over  to  Mrs. 
Allen's  ;  found  her  very  ill,  suffering  terribly  from  a  tumor. 
She  is  evidently  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption,  and  be- 
sides has  dropsy.  Although  enduring  almost  mortal  agony, 
she  spoke  rejoicingly  of  the  preciousness  of  a  Saviour's  love, 
and  expressed  a  most  confident  hope  of  a  blessed  and 
glorious  immortality.  The  only  thing  that  seemed  to 
trouble  her  was,  the  thought  of  leaving  her  four  little  ones 
(the  youngest  only  twenty  months  old)  to  brave  the  hard 
knocks  of  a  cold  world  without  a  mother's  tender  care. 
It  was  good  for  me  to  be  there.  I  inwardly  prayed  for 
Divine  aid  to  enable  me  to  give  her  some  consolation,  and 
I  believe  it  was  given  me.  I  read  to  her  portions  of  the 
fourth  and  fifth  chapters  of  second  Corinthians,  and  then 
knelt  down  and  poured  forth  my  soul  in  the  most  earnest 
prayer  I  ever  made  in  any  one's  presence  save  God's.  On 
rising  she  seized  my  hand,  and,  with  tears  streaming  over 
her  face,  blessed  me  for  the  comfort  I  had  given  her.  I 
told  you  of  their  poor  condition  temporally.  On  Sunday 
I  took  her  the  medicine,  and  almost  as  soon  as  I  came  in 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  105 

the  room  she  requested  me  to  pray.  I  did  so,  and  again 
she  expressed  the  comfort  it  was  to  her.  Monday  she  was 
freer  from  pain  than  she  had  been  for  a  long  while ;  the 
result,  as  she  thought,  of  the  medicine  I  took  her.  I  also 
went  to  Mrs.  Stephens's.  She  promised  to  come  to  mothers' 
meeting, — seemed  pleased  to  have  me  call,  and  said  she 
would  try  to  induce  Thomas  to  come  with  her.  I  next 
visited  Lucy  Lawton ;  she  was  not  at  home, — saw  the  wife 
of  her  father's  brother,  a  very  interesting,  and,  I  believe, 
well-inclined  young  woman.  She  expressed  a  great  desire 
to  come  to  church  and  meeting,  but  said  she  would  not  be 
able  to  get  to  the  latter  till  eight  o'clock.  I  wish  you 
would  go  there.  There  is  a  work  to  be  accomplished  with 
those  men  which  only  you  are  equal  for.  Altogether,  I  felt 
much  strengthened  and  encouraged  in  this,  my  fi7'st  mis- 
sionary labor.  That  it  may  bring  forth  sorne  fruit  is  the 
prayer  of  Yours,  in  the  love  of  Christ. 

June,  1866.     In  March  I  met  Mrs.  N in  the  street ; 

she  had  been  three  times  to  the  mothers'  meeting,  and  was 
now  on  her  way  to  ask  me  to  call  and  see,  and  pray  with  a 

sick  neighbor   (Mrs.  P )  whom  I  had  never  seen.     I 

went  with  her,  and  before  I  left  the  house  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  speaking  some  earnest  words  to  the  husband  of  Mrs. 

P ,  who,    I   found,  was  very  godless  and  intemperate. 

He  listened  with  respectful  attention,  and  thanked  me  for 
what  I  had  said.  I  regret  to  say  I  have  never  again  seen 
him,  though  I  visited  his  wife  often  during  the  four  weeks 

of  her  life.     When  we  left  the  house,  Mrs.  N said,  ''  I 

wish  you  could  see  my  husband  and  talk  that  way  to  him." 
I  said,  "  I  have  never  seen  him  :  do  tell  me  about  him  ;  is 
he  a  drinking  man?"  "Yes,  by  spells  ;  but  for  three  or 
four  months  he  has  not  taken  anything,  and  he  is  getting 
very  particular  about  the  children  going  to  your  Sunday- 
school  ;  he  reads  their  books  every  week.    It  was  only  yes- 


lo6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

terday  he  said,  '  Hannah  was  bothering  so  about  a  Testa- 
ment to  study  her  lesson  out  of,  he  supposed  he  would  have 
to  get  her  one.'  "  '*  Is  there  none  in  the  house?"  *' Yes, 
we  used  to  have  a  Bible,  but  my  husband  lost  it  in  the 
army."  By  this  time  we  had  nearly  reached  her  house. 
With  some  embarrassment,  she  said,  "I  hope  you  won't 
think  it  queer  in  me,  but  I  think  if  you  go  by  yourself  it 
will  take  more  effect  on  him."  I  preferred  this,  so  we 
parted  ;  I  to  knock  at  the  door,  with  a  prayer  for  guidance 
and  help,  while  she  slipped  into  the  house  of  a  neighbor, 
very  nervous,  I  afterwards  heard,  lest  he  should  ^' say  some- 
thing offensive  to  me,  he  was  so  passionate;"  she  added, 

'■'■  Miss  S might  as  well  try  to  run  her  head  through  a 

stone  wall  as  to  get  anything  from  my  husband."  Ignorant 
of  her  fears,  I  went  in,  asked  Hannah  if  her  father  was  at 
home,  and  sent  her  to  tell  him  I  wanted  to  see  him.  Quite 
surprised,  he  came  down,  shoemaker's  apron  on  and  boot 
in  hand,  which  he  was  making.  I  said  I  had  known  his 
children  for  some  time,  now  wanted  to  get  acquainted  with 
the  parents, — had  not  much  opportunity  of  seeing  the  father. 
He  did  not  ask  jne  to  sit  down,  scarcely  answered  me, 
looked  puzzled  to  know  what  was  coming.  I  asked  if  he 
had  ever  been  over  to  our  little  chapel.  No,  he  did  not 
bother  much  about  such  places  ;  it  was,  in  fact,  years  since 
he  had  been  in  a  place  of  worship.  Very  sorry  to  hear 
this ;  I  wished  he  would  come  over  with  his  children.  I 
hoped  he  found  them  the  better  for  Sunday-school.  Yes, 
that  was  one  thing  he  would  say,  and  he  did  not  like  to 
have  them  stay  away.  Well,  I  had  begun  a  Bible-class  for 
the  fathers.  I  knew  they  had  not  much  time  for  the  study 
of  God's  word,  and  for  a  few  weeks  I  had  met  with  a  few  of 
them  on  Sunday  at  ten  in  the  morning, — would  be  very  glad 
to  have  him  come  next  Sunday.  He  did  not  care  for  such 
things.  ^'  Have  you  ever  attended  such  a  class?"  I  asked. 
I  urged  him  very  much  to  covaQjust  once.    I  would  not  put 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


107 


him  down  as  a  member.  At  last  he  said,  ''Well,  I  will 
promise  to  come  some  of  these  days — once.^^  I  said,  play- 
fully, "It  is  not  my  custom  when  a  lady  asks  me  to  come 
and  see  her  on  a  certain  day  to  say  I  will  come  some  other 
day;  maybe  she  won't  want  me  then."  He  said,  in  an 
amused  way,  "  Then  you  mean  you  only  want  me  for  next 
Sunday?"  I  said,  "That  is  just  so."  It  was  settled  he 
should  come.  Punctually  he  was  in  his  place,  and  seemed 
deeply  interested  in  the  lesson.  When  it  was  over,  I  said, 
"I  believe  Hannah  has  no  Testament  to  learn  her  lesson 
from;  take  this  to  her."  "  No,  I  am  going  to  buy  her  one." 
But  he  did  consent  to  take  it,  promising  to  read  a  chapter 
every  day.  I  hoped  he  would  finish  the  good  day  by  coming 
to  church  in  the  afternoon.  "I  do  not  think  you  will  see 
me  there,  but  if  nothing  happens  I  will  come  to  the  class 
next  Sunday." 

In  the  afternoon,  near  the  close  of  the  service,  I  saw 

N in  the  last  pew  of  the  church.     I  changed  my  seat 

several  times,  finding  places  in  the  Prayer-Book  for  strangers 
(as  is  my  custom  in  our  little  chapel),  and  managed  to  seat 

myself  near  N ,  to  whom  I  spoke  words  of  welcome  at 

the  close  of  the  service.  He  had  been  pleased,  and  said 
he  might  come  over  occasionally. 

It  is  now  eleven  weeks  since  his  first  attendance,  and  he 
has  never  been  absent  from  class  or  church  service.  I 
think  he  is  decidedly  under  the  influence  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit,  though,  as  yet,  there  is  no  evidence  of  his  having 
given  his  heart  to  his  Saviour.  He  is  diligently  studying 
his  Bible,  having  not  only  bought  a  Testament  for  Hannah 
but  a  Bible  for  himself.  He  reads  a  chapter  to  his  wife 
every  night  before  they  go  to  bed, — has  taught  his  children 
a  little  prayer  for  night  and  morning.  Three  weeks  after 
he  began  to  come  to  church,  he  bought  his  wife,  one  Satur- 
day night,  a  new  dress,  a  hat  for  the  youngest  child,  and 
some  other  articles  of  dress,  telling  her  he  wanted  her  to 


Io8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

go  to  church  regularly  with  him ;  if  she  would  agree,  he 
would  carry  the  baby  himself  to  and  from  church.  She 
opposed  it,  saying,  "  She  did  not  care  to  go  bothering  with 
all  the  children."  However,  he  carried  the  day,  and  for 
some  weeks  the  whole  family,  baby  and  all,  have  been 
regularly  at   church,   the  attendance  only  interrupted  by 

sickness.     A  few  weeks  ago  Mrs.  N came  to  me  with 

beaming  face,  saying,  ''Oh,  what  a  change  in  our  house  ! 
On  Whitsunday  N proposed  taking  us  all  on  an  excur- 
sion" (the  first  time  he  has  asked  her  to  go  along  with  him 

anywhere  for  seven  years).     ''  We  all  spent  the  day  at . 

He  is  altogether  a  different  man.  I  used  to  be  afraid  to 
hear  him  coming  home,  even  if  he  was  sober,  he  was  so 
cross  to  me  and  the  children."  One  of  the  neighbors 
said,  "  The  change  in  that  house  is  wonderful  to  us  all ;  if 
you  can  only  get  an  influence  with  one  or  two  others  of 
the  same  sort  in  this  row,  you  will  be  doing  a  good  work." 

July — .  N tells  me  he  is  very  desirous  of  connecting 

himself  with  the  Christian  Church ;  but  I  am  disposed  to 
postpone  it,  that  his  steadfastness  may  be  tested,  fearing 
much  the  injury  which  might  be  done  to  the  cause  if  he 
makes  a  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  without  being  thor- 
oughly changed ;  the  eyes  of  all  in  the  neighborhood  are 
upon  him,  some  ready  to  cavil,  some,  alas  !  who  would  not 
grieve  to  see  him  fall.  I  did  not,  of  course,  express  this 
to  him,  but  suggested  he  would  consider  himself  then  and 
there  consecrated  to  the  service  of  his  Redeemer,  and  by 
watchfulness  and  prayer  strive  to  lead,  by  God's  grace,  a 
Christian  life,  awaiting  the  next  Episcopal  visitation  to 
confess  publicly  the  faith  of  Christ  crucified.  He  rested 
thus,  but  wished  to  have  his  children  in  covenant  relation 
to  God  ;  so  the  four  were  brought  to  baptism,  and  I  believe 
he  felt  deeply  the  vows,  not  only  in  the  name  of  the  chil- 
dren God  had  given  him,  but  as  binding  himself  to  be  a 
faithful  soldier  and  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  109 

Sept.  — .   N is  more  and  more  interested  in  divine 

things ;  is  waiting  patiently  for  confirmation  ;  attends  every 
service  we  have,  our  preparation  service  previous  to  the 
communion  included.  He  tells  me  he  hopes  soon  to  bring 
others  to  the  class, — has  tried  to  influence  some. 

Oct.  loth.  I  was  much  shocked  to-day  in  a  visit  to  one  of 

our  sick  Sunday-school  scholars   (Fanny  V ),  to  find 

her  father  and  mother  both  under  the  efl'ect  of  drink.  1 
had  long  regarded  them  as  hopeless,  but  scarcely  expected 
such  degradation  as  this.  The  little  girl,  ten  years  old, 
was  very  ill ;  she  had,  the  night  before,  pleaded  with  them 
not  to  drink  any  more  while  she  was  sick.  I  told  them  her 
life  was  in  great  danger,  and,  under  God,  was  in  their 
hands ;  implored  them,  by  every  consideration  I  could 
bring  to  bear  upon  them,  to  desist  at  least  as  long  as  she 
was  ill ;  and  at  last  they  pledged  themselves,  in  the  most 
solemn    manner,  to  avoid    all   stimulants  for  the    time  I 

named.     Mrs.  N had  asked  me  to  go  there,  and,  with 

the  other  neighbors,  was  attentive  to  the  sick  girl,  who 
recovered  in  a  few  days. 

Oct.  i^th.   Much  surprised  to  see  Mrs.  N enter  the 

mothers'   meeting,    introducing    Mrs.   V ,    the  woman 

referred  to  above,  whom  I  had  often  invited  in  vain.  She 
seemed  interested,  and  said  I  might  put  her  name  down  as 
a  member.  A  fortnight  ago  we  began,  at  nine  o'clock,  a 
morning  service,  appointing  this  hour  to  suit  the  con- 
venience of  ''my  mothers,"  who  can  thus  attend  the  ser- 
vice, and  be  home  in  time  to  prepare  the  mid -day  meal. 
It  is  but  an  experiment  as  yet ;  but  on  both  Sundays 
Stonewall  Nelson,  as  I  call  him,  and  his  wife  and  four 
children  were  punctually  in  their  places  before  service 
began ;  and  last  Sunday,  to  my  astonishment,  they  brought 

with  them  Mr.  V .    I  could  scarcely  believe   my  own 

eyes ;  my  surprise  was  only  equaled  by  N 's  satisfac- 
tion.    After  church  they  both  came   to  the   Bible-class, 

10 


no  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

and  N said  to  me,  ''I  brought  V this  morning, 

but  you  will  have  to  get  him  to  come  this  afternoon."  I 
expressed  my  gratification  at  this  beginning  of  what  I 
prayed  might  be  a  new  life,  and  urged  him  to  come  with 

N again  ;  and  so  he  did.     It  was,  indeed,  a  cause  of 

gratitude  when  I  saw  him,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind, 
seated  in  the  house  of  God  with  little  Fanny,  wondering 
and  happy,  beside  him.   I  have  placed  him  especially  under 

charge  of  N .     May  he,  by  divine  grace,  be  enabled  to 

exercise  an  influence  over  him  which  shall  reach  to  eternity  ! 

My  dear  Mrs.  S :   Do   you  remember  giving   me, 

some  five  months  ago,  the  name  of  S as  one  who  would 

probably  present  himself  as  a  member  of  my  Bible-class  ? 
I  want  to  thank  you  for  doing  so,  for  his  case  is  full  of 
encouragement  to  all  who  are  laboring  in  the  Lord. 

By  the  providence  of  God,  he  was  led  one  day  into  a 
store  kept  by  Mrs.  O ,  where,  after  making  his  pur- 
chases, he  remained  awhile,  waiting  for  a  car.  She  entered 
into  conversation  with  him,  asked  what  church  he  attended, 
etc.;  found  he  went  nowhere.  She  spoke  of  the  impor- 
tance of  public  worship,  ending  with  some  earnest  words 
on  his  best  and  highest  interests.  Regretting  she  had 
neglected  to  invite  him  to  your  Bible-class,  she  wrote  him 
a  note  to  do  so,  and  next  Sunday  he  walked  five  miles  to 
attend  it.  You  spoke  to  him  after  the  teaching  was  over, 
and  recommended  him  to  become  a  member  of  my  class, 
which  was  within  half  a  mile  of  his  lodging. 

He  did  not  come  the  next  Sunday,  and  I  surprised  him 
by  a  visit  one  evening,  after  his  working  hours  were  over. 
I  cordially  invited  him  to  my  class,  and  sfjoke  of  the  Friend 
of  sinners.  He  thanked  me  for  my  interest,  and  promised 
I  should  see  him  next  Sunday ;  but  he  did  not  come.  I 
wrote  him  a  note,  and  again  went  to  see  him.  He  was 
very  much  touched  at  these  expressions  of  interest  from  a 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  m 

stranger,  and  on  the  next  Sunday,  he  was  a  most  attentive 
listener  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  I  had  an  hour's  con- 
versation with  him  after  class.  He  was  much  impressed  by 
the  leadings  of  Providence,  which  had  taken  him,  just  at 
this  crisis  of  his  life,  to  Mrs.  O ,  whose  words  of  re- 
ligious truth  were  the  first  addressed  to  him  personally  in 
his  two  years'  residence  in  America.  He  had  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  an  English  village,  where 
he  knew  every  one,  and  was  surrounded  by  helps  and 
restraints,  religious  and  social ;  he  came  here,  was  disap- 
pointed in  his  expectations  of  immediate  success  in  a  very 
good  trade,  had  but  few  acquaintances,  and  they  were 
scattered  in  this  great  city,  but  'Miad  not  yet  met,  as  far  as 
he  knew,  a  single  religious  working  man."  He  had  been 
shocked  at  the  state  of  things  about  him  at  first,  and  had 
''tried  for  awhile  to  stem  the  torrent,  but  he  had  given 
up  long  ago,  and  was  drifting  to  perdition."  He  told  me 
how  unhappy  he  was,  and  that  he  had  recently  tried  to 
drown  thought  in  the  intoxicating  bowl ;  that  he  had 
determined  to  throw  himself  away  as  fast  as  he  could. 
We  prayed  together,  and  with  tears  streaming  from  his 
eyes,  he  asked  me,  ''  If  I  would  be  to  him  a  religious  friend 
and  help ; — it  viigJit  be,  God  would  once  more  receive  him. ' ' 
I  believe  the  Good  Shepherd  has  found  the  lost  sheep. 

G has  moved  some  distance  from  us,  but  is  rarely 

absent  on  Sundays.  He  has  grown  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord,  I  thin'k,  week  by  week.  He  often 
remains  for  private  conversation  and  prayer.  He  will  soon 
again  unite  himself  with  the  visible  Church  of  Christ. 

He  married  very  young,  and  left  a  wife  and  two  children 
at  home,  hoping  when  he  came  to  x\merica,  that  he  could 
soon  send  for  them.  Failing  for  the  first  year  in  everything 
he  undertook,  he  became  involved  in  debt,  and  latterly 
when  he  had  good  work,  he  had  fallen  into  bad  company 
and  spent  all  he  made  in  riotous  living.     Now  his  energies 


112  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

are  bent  on  making  and  saving  money,  that  he  may  repair 
the  injuries  done  to  his  young  family  by  his  neglect,  and 
that  he  may  soon  enjoy  again  the  sweets  of  domestic 
happiness. 

He  has  placed  the  first  instalment  in  my  hands,  feeling 
so  happy  that  a  beginning  is  thus  made.  "  He  is  afraid  to 
trust  himself  with  it,  he  is  so  weak,  but  thanks  God  there  is 
some  one  to  encourage  him." 

I  think  we  cannot  estimate  the  dangers  and  temptations 
besetting  the  paths  of  such  young  men, — strangers  in  our 
city.  They  have  no  places  of  innocent  amusement  where 
they  can  spend  their  evenings ;  no  friendly  hand  is  stretched 
out  to  them  socially,  as  would  be  done  in  a  village.  They 
are  too  wearied  with  the  day's  labor  to  sit  down  and  read, 
even  if  their  taste  so  inclined  them.  What  are  they  to  do? 
Is  not  this  a  great  problem  for  some  of  our  Christian  men 
to  work  out  ?  It  is  much  on  my  heart  and  in  my  thoughts. 
If  every  Christian  man  and  woman  stood  on  the  alert  as 

Mrs.  O did  on  that  day  she  spoke  to  G ,  how  many 

would  find  such  a  day — a  ''turning-point"  in  their  lives,  as 
G always  calls  it ! 


SEEKING  AND  COMPELLING. 

''The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost,"  and  surely  the  Church,  his  bride,  will 
bring  very  little  honor  on  her  Lord  and  Master  until  she 
seeks  men  everywhere,  and  proffers  salvation  for  their  in- 
dividual acceptance  as  tenderly  as  it  was  offered  to  Zac- 
cheus. 

"  Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city," 
and  "  go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  and  compel 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


"3 


them  to  come  in,  that  my  house  may  be  filled."  It  is 
plain  that  this  positive  command  should  be  universally 
and  constantly  obeyed,  yet  it  is  equally  obvious  that  the 
Christian  Church  is  neither  diligently  seeking  the  lost  nor 
compelling  the  indifferent  to  come  in,  although  she  claims 
to  be  the  duly  commissioned  and  organized  army  of  Christ. 
In  dictionaries  the  term  "  obsolete"  is  affixed  to  words  not 
in  use ;  but  the  Church  will  hardly  consent  so  to  describe 
the  words  ''seek"  and  "compel,"  although  they  have  for 
a  long  season  been  practically  obsolete. 

The  Apostles  were  enjoined  to  become  fishers  of  men, 
but  they  did  not  understand  their  Master  as  directing  them 
merely  to  spread  stationary  nets  and  to  trust  in  special 
divine  interposition  in  their  behalf;  no,  they  successfully 
sought  men,  and  compelled  them  to  come  in  by  the  con- 
straining power  of  divine  love.  The  Church  is  diligently 
dragging  a  net,  but  it  is  in  shallow  water  where  minnows 
swim ;  and  it  is  lamentably  true  that,  owing  to  inappro- 
priate treatment,  a  very  large  proportion  of  these  little 
ones  break  the  meshes  and  escape  before  they  are  fiill 
grown.  How  can  the  Church  be  awakened  to  the  alarming 
fact  that  the  lads  and  men  of  the  most  numerous  classes 
are  still  increasing  in  profanity,  intemperance,  and  aliena- 
tion from  the  Church,  although  infant  baptism  has  been 
practiced  for  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years,  and  the 
Sunday-school  system  has  been  in  active  operation  for  half 
a  century? 

''The  children  of  this  world  are  in  their  generation 
wiser  than  the  children  of  light;"  therefore,  with  the 
politician,  seeking  and  compelling  are  not  likely  to  become 
obsolete  terms,  no  political  party  being  content  to  rest  in 
the  divine  authority  of  a  republic,  or  in  their  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Constitution.  Christians,  by  their  supineness 
in  the  Church  and  by  their  activity  in  politics,  are  either 
practically  admitting  the  superior  importance  of  the  ballot- 

lO* 


114  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

box,  or  trusting  that  in  spiritual  things  God  has  dispensed 
with  human  instrumentalities. 

Increasingly  earnest  prayers  are  going  up  from  anxious 
and  broken-hearted  wives  and  mothers  for  their  profane 
and  intemperate  husbands  and  sons;  therefore  God  has 
stirred  up  some  of  the  "  Deborahs"  to  plan  and  execute  a 
series  of  successful  flank  movements,  by  which  the  houses 
of  working  people  were  opened,  and  hundreds  of  lads,  of 
men,  and  of  women,  who  were  living  either  in  moral  in- 
difference to  religion  or  in  open  sin,  have  been  brought 
into  mothers'  meetings  or  Bible-classes,  and  through  these 
divine  agencies  into  full  communion  with  Christ  in  his 
Church.  This  movement  has  not  been  confined  to  any 
special  locality,  or  any  particular  nationality;  but  it  has 
demonstrated  the  most  hopeful  fact  that  the  gentle,  prayer- 
ful love-knock  opens  both  the  door  and  heart  of  our  work- 
ing people  to  those  who  unobtrusively  seek  their  spiritual 
welfare. 

So  large  a  proportion  of  those  thus  approached  have 
been  induced  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  God's  people,  that 
the  Church  may  put  on  her  beautiful  garments  whenever 
she  can  stir  up  all  intelligent  Christians  to  manifest  even  a 
small  portion  of  the  zeal  and  perseverance  that  politicians 
are  invariably  displaying. 

Chrysostom  thus  interprets  Hebrews  x.  24:  "Let  us 
consider  the  example  one  of  another  that  we  may  be  pro- 
voked to  zeal  and  good  works;"  and  surely  the  following 
record  of  prayerful,  persistent  zeal  on  the  part  of  a  deli- 
cate woman,  who  is  also  engaged  in  other  Christian  work 
and  burdened  with  household  cares,  should  incite  others 
to  zeal  and  similar  good  works.  This  lady  did  not  give 
heed  to  the  criminal  suggestion  that  the  Church  should 
wait  until  moral  influences  are  exerted  by  legal  enactments 
or  by  philanthropic  action  ;  for  she  believes  in  the  omnipo- 
tence of  Christ's  love  when  it  is  brought  to  bear  directly 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


115 


on  the  individual  heart.  Surely  if  the  prevalence  and  in- 
crease of  flagrant,  open  sin  does  not  stir  up  the  Church  to 
''seek  and  compel,"  genteel  morality  will  be  much  less 
likely  to  influence  its  action,  or  to  prepare  sinners  to  realize 
their  need  of  the  great  salvation. 

Of  the  twenty-five  young  men  who  are  reported  by  their 
teacher  as  having  become  communicants,  most  of  them  had 
to  pass  through  a  fiery  ordeal  in  breaking  away  from  their 
boon  companions ;  and  several  of  them  were  further  hin- 
dered by  the  intemperance  and  profanity  of  their  fathers. 

W. 

Dear  Sir, — Four  years  ago  I  became  interested  in  the 
working-class  of  young  men.  My  lot  being  cast  in  a 
manufacturing  town,  I  had  every  opportunity  for  seeing, 
without  the  trouble  of  seeking,  how  much  these  youths 
were  forgotten  and  neglected  by  the  Church.  Our  Sunday- 
school  was  full,  numbering  hundreds,  from  the  lisping  child 
up  to  that  age  when  boys  imagine  they  are  men.  Some 
effort  had  been  made  by  a  few  faithful  teachers  to  hold  the 
lads,  and  one  lady  had  succeeded  in  interesting  several  who 
had  strayed  from  the  school  by  inviting  them  to  her  house 
in  company  with  her  Sunday-school  class  of  boys.  Two 
gentlemen  had  a  small  number  in  their  Bible-classes  ;  but, 
one  of  these  having  entered  the  army,  his  scholars  soon 
scattered.  A  few  accompanied  him  to  the  field,  and  the 
others  joined  the  crowds  that  feed  upon  husks,  and  waste 
their  strength  in  the  path  of  evil. 

Illness  had  compelled  me  to  give  up  a  class  of  girls  I  had 
been  teaching,  and  with  returning  strength  my  thoughts 
turned  constantly  to  the  young  men  I  passed  at  every  cor- 
ner, at  every  engine-house,  and  at  every  tavern.  I  thought 
if  my  Saviour  and  theirs  was  here  in  the  flesh.  He  would  in 
some  way  call  these  from  their  haunts  of  pleasure  and  of 
sin  to  listen  to  Him  wdiile  He  taught  them  the  way  of  life. 


Il6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

It  was  ''  the/(7^rwho  had  the  gospel  preached  unto  them," 
and  the  multitude  that  He  fed  with  loaves  and  fishes,  ''  I 
came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost,"  were  the  words  of  our 
Master,  and  they  who  hold  the  lamp  of  life  in  their  hands, 
like  the  priest  of  old,  pass  by  on  the  other  side.  To  these 
poor  sons  of  toil  my  heart  went  out,  and  I  could  not  but 
feel  that,  though  they  are  hard  and  rough,  we  should  not 
withhold  from  them  the  voice  of  kindness  and  sympathy, 
nor  the  controlling  influence  of  cultivation  and  refinement. 
But  what  was  to  be  done  for  them  ?  I  spoke  to  one  who  I 
thought  would  guide  and  lend  me  counsel.  He  replied  to 
my  earnest  appeal,  "They  have  the  Church;  they  know 
where  to  hear  the  gospel ;  they  are  within  sound  of  the 
bell;  they  need  not  be  neglected."  I  turned  to  another, 
whose  whole  life  is  given  to  the  work  of  extending  the 
Church.  By  him  I  was  induced  to  procure  the  names  and 
residences  of  a  few  to  visit,  and  persuade  them  to  meet  me 
on  a  Sunday,  and  thus  form  a  Bible-class. 

Upon  this  plan  I  commenced.  I  made  a  few  visits  and 
obtained  from  five  very  rough  fellows  (judging  from  outside 
appearances)  the  promise  to  meet  me  on  the  following  Sun- 
day. One  assured  me  I  would  have  my  hands  full,  and  that 
I  would  soon  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  them ;  he  also  told  me 
he  drank,  swore,  fought,  spent  many  evenings  in  low  taverns, 
went  to  dances,  and  occupied  his  leisure  hours  in  summer 
robbing  the  neighboring  places  of  fruit,  etc.  His  friend 
(whom  we  met  in  the  street)  looked  full  of  mischief,  and, 
in  a  droll  manner,  told  me  I  might  ''count"  upon  him. 
Because  of  its  strangeness  I  found  it  exceedingly  hard  to 
speak  with  them ;  following  them  to  their  homes  in  my  en- 
deavors to  win  their  confidence  and  esteem,  I  scarcely  knew 
what  to  say  to  them.  But  He  who  has  promised  light  and 
guidance  in  answer  to  prayer,  took  me  step  by  step  that 
day,  and  directed  my  feeble  efforts  in  commencing  and 
organizing  a  work  I  felt  sure  should  be  done. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  117 

Sunday  came,  and  true  to  their  promise  they  met  me  ; 
one  in  his  pea-jacket,  with  neither  collar  nor  necktie,  as 
though  he  would  convince  me  that  the  character  he  had 
drawn  of  himself  was  true.  I  met  them  with  great  timidity, 
and  think  I  should  almost  have  failed  and  drawn  back  had 
it  not  been  for  the  support  extended  me  by  the  superin- 
tendent, who  came  into  the  room  and  welcomed  the  boys, 
made  a  few  remarks,  and  so  quieted  the  nervous  excitement 
under  which  I  labored.  I  looked  at  the  unstable  elements 
before  me,  and  knew  they  must  be  dealt  with  carefully. 

I  determined  to  avoid  anything  like  a  regular  Bible-lesson 
to  commence  with,  because  I  feared  that  were  I  to  make  it 
tiresome,  or  ''pious,"  as  they  laughingly  called  solemn 
teaching,  perhaps  my  first  Sunday  would  be  my  last  with 
them.  I  therefore  took  my  chair  away  from  the  table  (they 
had  collected  in  a  distant  corner)  and  sat  down  just  before 
them  and  talked  pleasantly,  drawing  them  on  to  remark 
upon  the  lives  of  sailors, — a  subject  I  thought  would  be 
likely  to  interest  such  fellows.  I  then  told  them  a  story 
called  ''Stand  by  the  Ship,"  which  gave  the  history  of  a 
sailor  who  had  been  faithful  at  his  post  amidst  all  the 
dangers  attending  that  life ;  faithful  to  his  officers,  and 
faithful  to  good  principles  early  taught  him.  I  applied  it 
to  our  newly-formed  class,  and  asked  them,  like  that  boy, 
to  stand  by  their  ship.  They  were  very  quiet,  attentive, 
and  evidently  interested,  and  one  remarked,  on  leaving, 
"  that  he  thought  they  had  had  quite  a  good  time,  and  he 
guessed  he'd  try  it  again." 

As  one  week  passed  away  to  give  place  to  another,  I  found 
it  anything  but  joyful  to  work  for  these  boys.  It  was  a 
corner  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  which  required  no  ordinary 
tilling;  hard  and  stony  ground,  soil  which  must  be  turned 
over  many  times  before  the  seed  would  take  root.  The 
warmest  of  the  sun's  rays,  with  the  early  and  latter  rain, 
would  be  required   to  make  it  spring  up  and  bear  fruit. 


Il8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

Some  Sundays  they  would  come  from  drinking-houses  more 
than  half-intoxicated,  requiring  considerable  firmness,  with 
kindness,  to  control  them.  I  am  aware  many  would  say 
that  in  such  a  state  the  Bible-class  was  no  place  for  them ; 
and  so  I  often  felt,  yet  I  hid  their  faults  and  misdemeanors 
from  every  eye.  I  desired  to  see  the  power  of  truth  in 
just  such  hearts,  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  in  such  lives, 
and  every  day  I  became  more  and  more  interested  in  them. 
Their  uncouth  appearance  and  bad  habits  were  in  a  meas- 
ure lost  to  my  sight  in  the  one  ever-present  thought  and 
earnest  desire  to  do  them  good, — to  be  the  means,  with 
God's  blessing,  of  leading  them  to  the  Saviour.  The  first 
year  was  hard  work.  Even  to  this  day  I  look  back  to  it  as 
a  dark,  troublous  time,  through  which  I  should  dread  again 
to  pass.  Every  Sunday  I  went  to  my  class  in  fear  and 
trembling,  lest  my  boys  should  have  done  something  to 
turn  the  voice  of  the  Church  against  them.  But  few  felt 
any  interest  in  them,  or  sympathized  with  me  in  my  anxiety 
about  them.  They  were  denounced  by  members  of  the 
Church  as  a  nuisance,  and  many  would  have  aided  in  shut- 
ting them  up  in  the  station-house.  I  neither  listened  to  nor 
noticed  the  opinions  of  any,  but  worked  on,  one  week  en- 
couraged, the  next  thoroughly  disheartened. 

On  one  occasion  I  found  my  class-room  almost  deserted 
(the  number  then  attending  being  fifteen)  because  a  teacher 
had  ordered  them  away  for  talking  and  laughing  near  his 
class-room,  telling  them  "the  street  was  the  best  place  for 
such  as  they."  I  had  hard  work  to  get  them  back.  One 
fellow,  who  had  been  softened  more  by  my  influence  over 
him  than  the  rest,  remarked,  "  If  we  are  only  fit  for  the 
street  and  to  go  to  the  devil,  why,  let  us  go."  I  plead  with 
them,  and  at  last,  with  tears  and  entreaties,  prevailed  upon 
them  to  return.  It  was  sorrow  upon  sorrow  to  think  of 
losing  them  after  having  gone  through  so  much  for  them. 
I  had   then  had  them  under  my  care  some  months,  had 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  119 

gained  their  confidence  and  affection,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  begun  his  great  work  in  the  souls  of  seven  or  eight. 
Some  had  cast  themselves  at  the  feet  of  Jesus ;  others  were 
struggling  against  the  tide  of  evil  which  rolled  in  upon 
them  with  almost  resistless  force.  It  seemed  to  me  impos- 
sible for  them  to  do  otherwise  than  go  headlong  down  to 
destruction.  What  was  to  prevent  them  ?  When  I  regarded 
their  few  opportunities,  their  wretched  home-training,  their 
fearful  surroundings  in  the  street  (their  only  place  for  recre- 
ation, and  a  place  where  the  devil  met  them  at  every  step, 
both  cloven-footed  and  clothed  as  an  angel  of  light  to  at- 
tract and  decoy),  and  when  1  saw  Christians  satisfied  with 
building  the  temple,  ringing  the  bell,  and  preaching  from 
the  pulpit  to  those  who  would  come  and  listen,  I  was  sure 
the  devil  was  in  advance  of  us,  and  had  things  pretty  much 
his  own  way,  placing  a  fearful  responsibility  upon  the 
Church,  and  a  great  account  to  settle  at  the  door  of  every 
individual  Christian. 

The  untutored  and  uncultivated  masses  are  not  to 
be  attracted  by  the  eloquence  of  the  pulpit,  nor  in 
this  land  of  freedom  where  liberty  has  her  full  sway, 
are  the  young  men  to  be  forced  into  submission  by  mere 
authority. 

The  tenderer  emotions  of  the  human  heart  exist  with 
these  rough  boys  as  well  as  with  those  of  different  positions 
and  greater  advantages.  The  gentler  feelings  in  them  are 
not  dead,  only  sleeping ;  waiting  to  be  aroused  by  some 
kind  voice  and  sympathetic  heart, — one  which  yearns  for 
their  good  and  prays  for  their  salvation. 

I  had  taught  my  class  but  six  weeks  when  one  of  these 
boys,  aged  eighteen,  one  of  the  roughest,  came  to  my  house, 
anxious  about  his  soul.  Passionate,  energetic,  affectionate, 
but  wayward  and  entirely  undisciplined,  he  was  filled  with 
apprehension,  yet  touched  by  the  thought  of  Christ's  love 
for  him.     He  said,  ''  I  cannot  get  that  love  out  of  my  mind 


T20     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

when  I  see  you,  when  I  hear  the  church  bell,  or  feel  in  my 
hands  the  Prayer-Book  which  you  gave  me.  A  troubled 
feeling  comes  over  me.  I  prayed  this  afternoon  and 
read  something  in  a  religious  paper,  and  then  determined 
to  come  to  you  and  see  what  I  should  do."  I  was  almost 
too  much  delighted  to  scrutinize  the  true  nature  of  the  im- 
pression that  had  been  made  upon  him.  The  son  of  a 
drunkard,  the  lad  was  a  blasphemer,  drank  considerably, 
and  his  moral  tone  had  been  lowered  by  reading  immoral 
literature.  Notwithstanding  this  knowledge,  repulsive  as 
it  was,  I  thought  of  nothing  but  what  was  to  be  done  to 
turn  him  from  the  error  of  his  ways.  I  knelt  with  him  to 
ask  our  Father,  who  giveth  liberally  and  upbraideth  not,  to 
give  him  power  to  resist  temptation  and  sin,  to  lead  him  to 
the  fountain  which  cleanseth  even  from  crijnson  sins.  He 
promised,  with  trembling  lips,  to  keep  away  from  places 
of  temptation. 

Being  inexperienced,  I  was  sanguine  about  the  result, 
and  felt  assured  he  was  on  the  road  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus.  Very  soon  I  learned  from  sad  experience  that  such 
promises  and  good  intentions  very,  very  often  come  to 
nothing.  Not  very  long  after  this  boy  had  appeared  so 
deeply  impressed,  I  found  him  in  the  street  one  evening — 
drunk,  in  company  with  one  or  two  others.  I  forgot  every- 
thing in  my  anxiety  for  that  soul  so  lately  breathed  upon  by 
the  Divine  Spirit.  I  took  his  arm,  saying,  *'I  am  alone; 
come  home  with  me."  He  scarce  knew  me.  I  held  him 
firmly,  and  in  decided  tone  told  him  who  I  was,  and 
almost  compelled  him  to  go  with  me.  Seeing  another  boy 
whom  I  knew,  I  beckoned  him  to  go  with  me :  he  took 
F.'s  arm,  and  I  walked  the  other  side  until  we  reached  my 
home.  I  did  not  stop  to  consider  what  any  one  would 
think  or  say,  or  what  to  do  with  him.  I  only  remembered 
that  God  had  said  to  him,  ''Son,  give  me  thy  heart ;"  and 
that  that  poor,  weak  heart  was  a  little  while  ago  deeply 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  121 

moved  by  a  heavenly  Father's  love,  and  I  must  snatch  him 
from  the  power  of  the  Evil  One. 

Until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  lay  in  my  house 
in  a  drunken  sleep,  my  husband  being  willing  to  harbor 
him  for  my  sake.  I  could  not  retire,  but  passed  many  times 
through  the  dimly-lighted  passages  to  the  room  in  which  I 
had  left  him  down-stairs,  praying  meantime  in  anguish  of 
spirit  for  the  rescue  and  salvation  of  this  poor  boy,  whom 
I  had  learned  to  love  like  a  child.  I  was  standing  by  him 
when  he  awoke.  He  raised  himself  up,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments the  truth  flashed  upon  him.  "Oh,  my  teacher! 
What  have  I  done  ?  what  have  you  done  for  me  ?  let  me 
get  away  from  your  presence."  I  said,  as  firmly  as  I  could 
speak,  "Stay  where  you  are;  think  of  your  mother;  you 
must  remain  here  until  morning."  With  an  expression  of 
sorrow  and  agony  such  as  I  shall  never  forget,  he  cried, 
"  Oh,  pray  for  me  !"  And  in  the  silence  of  the  night  we 
knelt  and  prayed  to  Him  who  told  us  of  the  Father's  love 
for  the  prodigal  son.  If  tears  and  deep  emotion  be  a  true 
evidence  of  penitence,  F surely  manifested  it  then. 

At  break  of  day  I  called  a  servant  to  give  him  a  cup  of 
coffee  ;  and  exacting  a  promise  that  he  would  return  that 
evening,  I  let  him  go  to  his  work.  I  feared  to  leave  him 
to  the  influence  of  the  street  in  his  troubled  state  of  mind, 
for  I  had  seen  enough  of  his  impulsive  nature  to  know  he 
would  be  tempted  to  break  away  from  my  control  from  very 
shame.  I  devoted  an  hour  to  him  in  the  evening,  endeavor- 
ing to  build  him  up  in  moral  and  spiritual  strength,  and 
entreating  him  to  cast  himself  at  once  upon  the  Saviour. 
He  was  much  moved,  and  when  he  left  I  gave  him  a  book 
to  read,  which  I  thought  would  interest  and  divert  his 
mind  for  a  time. 

Weeks  passed  on,  and  I  think  intense  must  have  been  the 
interest  both  of  angels  of  light  and  of  darkness,  as  they 
noticed  the  mighty  struggle  which  went  on  in  the  soul  of 

F  II 


122  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

this  tempted  boy  ; — one  day  sinning,  the  next  repentant ; 
one  day  praying,  the  next  plunged  into  gross  wickedness. 
Such  was  his  history  day  after  day  and  week  after  week. 
I  wish  I  had  kept  a  record  of  the  number  of  times  I  have 
visited  this  boy,  or  followed  him  to  the  door  of  the  ale- 
house ;  gone  into  his  work-shop ;  come  upon  him  on  his 
walk  from  work  ;  gone  to  his  home  ;  met  him  at  the  Bible- 
class-room,  and  induced  him  to  call  at  my  house.  I  think 
it  would  number  hundreds.  Frequently  he  would  be  angry, 
— would  beg  of  me  to  let  him  alone ;  threaten  to  go  away 
to  be  rid  of  religious  teaching.  But  I  knew  God  was  striv- 
ing with  him  ;  I  saw  too  plainly  that  deep  was  calling  unto 
deep  in  his  soul.  I  wrote  him  at  least  once  a  week,  some- 
times oftener,  and  to  many  of  my  letters  he  replied.  In 
one  he  said,  "I  wonder  God  does  not  cut  me  off.  I  cry 
like  David,  'All  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  roll  over  me.'  " 
Had  I  not  reason  to  believe  the  Holy  Spirit  was  with  my 
boy,  notwithstanding  his  fearful  plunges  into  sin,  when  he 
could  thus  enter  into  David's  spiritual  anguish  ?  Whilst 
the  Spirit  strove  and  Jesus  stood  at  the  door  and  knocked, 
I  could  not  but  entreat  him  to  open  his  heart,  that  He  who 
was  ''  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life"  might  come  in  and 
abide  with  him. 

For   several    years  F had   been    fearfully  profane ; 

his  '*  crowd"  said  he  uttered  an  oath  with  every  sentence. 
I  find  this  habit,  when  confirmed,  the  most  difficult  to  over- 
come. I  always  tell  them  I  would  rather  see  them  drunk 
than  hear  them  blaspheme.  They  do  not  realize  the  direct 
insult  they  thus  offer  to  their  Maker ;  they  begin  so  early 
to  break  this  law,  long  before  they  can  drink  or  gamble, 
that  the  habit  becomes  strong.  I  gave  this  boy  once  a  little 
blank  book  in  which  he  was  to  mark  down  every  time  he 
swore,  and  show  it  to  me  at  the  end  of  the  week.  Some- 
times the  number  would  be  so  great  he  would  stop  marking 
and  be  ashamed  to  let  me  see  it.     I  felt  that  it  would  be  a 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  123 

help  to  him,  for  I  knew  that  every  means  must  be  used  to 
aid  him  to  overcome  his  evil  habits,  and  I  think  it  was  of 
some  benefit  to  him. 

My  class  was  a  few  months  old  when  confirmation  season 
commenced.  The  rector  had  spoken  earnestly  to  his  people 
and  informed  us  that  in  six  weeks  our  beloved  bishop  would 
be  with  us.  I  made  every  effort  to  have  my  boys  attend 
the  confirmation-class  and  hear  all  that  was  said  upon  the 
subject.  I  wrote  to  each  and  sent  to  them  such  of  Ryle's 
tracts  as  I  thought  would  have  some  influence  upon  their 
minds.  I  took  two  or  more  aside  each  Sunday  after  teach- 
ing, and  talked  to  them  of  Jesus'  dying  love,  of  their  state 
before  God,  and  by  this  personal  ministration  I  gained  a 
powerful  influence  over  each  soul,  learned  to  know  the 
wants  of  each,  the  weak  and  strong  traits  of  their  characters, 
when  and  how  most  easily  tempted,  and  what  there  was  in 
each  to  build  upon.  I  learned  early  in  my  work,  and  time 
and  experience  only  confirm  this  opinion,  that  the  lesson 
and  the  general  teaching  is  little  without  the  close  personal 
application  of  the  truth  to  each  individual  soul.  I  have 
many,  many  times  known  these  fellows  to  be  leaving  the 
class  in  a  hard,  cold,  careless  manner,  and  as  they  shook 
hands  good-by,  I  have  gently  whispered,  "  Stay,  I  want  to 
see  you,"  and  have  seldom  been  refused.  When  all  were 
gone,  and  we  were  alone  with  God,  I  have  talked  and 
prayed  with  them,  and  instead  of  hardness  and  indifference 
on  leaving  the  room  it  would  be  with  better  desires,  thought- 
ful countenances,  and,  many  times,  tearful  eyes.  Every 
such  interview  softened  the  fallow  ground  of  their  hearts 
and  prepared  it  somewhat  to  receive  again  words  of  truth, 
for  it  is  "  line  upon  line,  here  a  little  there  a  little." 

After  the  night-school  which  I  had  for  them  at  my  house 
on  Monday  evenings,  I  detained  one  or  more  for  a  private 
conversation.  I  taught  them  simply  reading  and  writing 
at  this  school.     After  the  lessons  we  sang  a  hymn  and  of- 


124  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

fered  a  short  prayer.  The  boys  were  always  orderly,  and 
some  very  anxious  to  improve ;  others  I  had  much  trouble 
in  interesting,  and  only  got  them  to  attend  by  persuasion. 
The  first  five  boys  were  double  the  care  of  the  rest  of  the 
class,  as  they  belonged  to  one  of  the  roughest  sets  in  our 
town  ;  the  others  varied  in  grade,  some  being  sons  of  most 
respectable  mechanics.  A  few  had  the  incalculable  advan- 
tage of  Christian  mothers,  and  these  were  often  vexed  at 
the  trouble  the  rough  ones  gave  me,  and  would  have  had 
me  dismiss  them  from  the  class.  One  boy  particularly  in- 
terested me;  he  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Sunday-school, 
having  been  under  the  care  of  his  grandfather,  who  was  a 
strict  Episcopalian.  He  had  never  been  baptized  because 
his  mother  was  a  Baptist.  When  I  first  knew  him  he  had 
returned  to  his  father's,  who  is  a  drunkard,  but  he  could 
not  be  happy  in  his  mother's  church,  and  obtained  her  per- 
mission to  go  to  our  Sunday-school.  He  came  with  some 
others  to  my  Bible-class.  There  was  a  solidity  about  this 
boy  which  interested  me.  I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  he 
was  a  good  boy ;  on  the  contrary,  he  and  his  companions 
were  a  very  wild  set  of  fellows.  In  my  letter  to  him  at 
this  confirmation  season,  I  inclosed  a  tract,  entitled 
''Whither  Goest  Thou?"  and  I  took  up  the  same  idea  in 
my  letter.  In  his  reply  he  said,  "The  words,  'Whither 
Goest  Thou,'  went  straight  through  me;  twice  in  my  life 
my  heart  has  inclined  towards  religion,  but  I  gave  it  up. 
Your  letter  awakened  me  ;  I  am  a  bad  fellow,  but  no  mat- 
ter what  I  do  in  the  day,  I  always  say  the  Lord's  Prayer  at 
night,  and  I  think  this  habit  has  kept  me  from  much  evil. 
I  will  think  about  what  you  desire  me  to  examine  into." 

A  few  nights  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter  from  C , 

I  met  him  at  church,  waiting  after  service  to  shake  hands 
with  me.  Guided  no  doubt  by  the  Unseen  Spirit,  I  ad- 
dressed a  few  words  to  him  which  were  the  means  of  chang- 
ing his  intentions,  and  perhaps  influencing  the  current  of 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  125 

his  future  life.  I  said,  ''Charles,  to-night  maybe  the  turn- 
ing-point of  your  life.  The  pastor  waits  in  his  room  to  see 
all  who  are  anxious  about  the  condition  of  their  souls."  A 
stern,  fixed  expression  settled  upon  his  face,  such  as  I  have 
often  seen  upon  it,  when  two  ways  were  before  him,  pleas- 
ure or  duty,  and  he  determined  courageously  to  choose  the 
latter.  In  a  quiet  tone  he  said  to  me,  "  Could  I  see  the 
rector  to-night?''  ''Yes;  go  and  tell  him  what  you  have 
told  me,  and  may  you  decide  to  give  your  heart  to  God." 
He  waited  until  eleven  o'clock  before  it  was  his  turn  to  see 
the  rector,  after  which  he  returned  home,  where,  as  his 
mother  afterwards  told  me,  he  sat  silent  and  abstracted 
until  almost  twelve  o'clock,  when  he  retired.  At  that  very 
hour,  on  that  very  night,  he  had  promised  to  meet  two  wild 
fellows,  with  whom  he  intended  running  away  from  home 
and  going  to  sea.  But  it  was  said  of  him,  "  Behold  he 
prayeth."  There  was  no  mistaking  his  earnestness  then, 
and  we  have  not  been  disappointed  in  him.  Nearly  a  year 
after  this,  he  joined  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  served  three 
years  in  defense  of  his  country,  not  forgetting  also  to  fight 
under  the  banner  of  the  Cross.  In  his  tent  he  has  had  as 
many  as  sixteen  listening  when  he  read  the  Bible.  He 
never  failed  to  check  the  men  when  swearing,  and  never 
omitted  kneeling  and  committing  himself  to  the  care  of 
Him  who  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps.  All  who  accompa- 
nied him,  three  of  whom  belong  also  to  my  class,  yet  speak 
of  the  good  example  he  showed  them  in  field  and  tent,  even 
under  most  trying  circumstances.-  All  his  letters  breathed 
the  same  quiet,  earnest  spirit ;  one  expression  particularly 
I  find  in  several  of  them, — "Pray  for  me  that  I  may  be 
faithful  to  my  God  and  true  to  myself."  He  returned  un- 
harmed, and  immediately  sought  my  class,  where,  I  am 
pleased  to  say,  he  may  be  found  with  each  returning  Sun- 
day.    The  testimony  of  his  friends  will  give  you  an  idea 

of  his  faithfulness.     "Mrs.  :  You  need    never   have 

11^ 


126  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

C on  your  mind  ;  he  goes  just  as  far  as  he  knows  is 

consistent,  and  nobody  can  take  him  farther.  I  have  often 
seen  him  tried.  When  we  want  to  do  anything  wrong,  he 
just  puts  his  foot  down,  and  then  we  know  there  is  no  use 
to  talk."  In  the  case  of  this  young  man,  I  often  think  it 
was  a  most  wonderful  interposition  of  Providence  and  evi- 
dence of  God's  blessing  upon  my  work.  I  never  knew 
until  long  afterwards  that  the  night  of  which  I  have  spoken 
was  indeed  the  turning-point  in  his  life.  I  did  not  learn 
it  from  him,  for  he  is  not  one  to  talk  about  himself.  He  is 
a  great  help  to  me  in  the  class,  for  he  has  no  ups  or  downs. 
Unflinching,  immovable  when  sure  he  is  right,  I  can  refer 
to  him  as  an  example  to  the  others,  showing  the  power  of 
Christ's  love  as  exhibited  in  his  daily  life. 

*  The  subsequent  history  of  F ,  who  caused  me  such 

intense  anxiety,  is  full  of  interest  and  comfort.  The  trying 
hours  I  spent  with  him,  his  long  struggle  with  the  Evil  One, 
would  fill  many  pages.  I  therefore  leave  him  for  another 
letter. 

My  class  has  numbered  forty-four.  Of  the  five  who  first 
met  me  in  that  little  room,  one  has  gone  to  his  last  home: 
three  days'  illness,  with  scarce  a  conscious  moment.  I 
knelt  beside  him  and  watched  his  spirit  take  its  flight.  He 
had  been  taught  to  pray  by  his  mother.  The  week  of  his 
death  I  had  written  to  him,  and  inclosed  the  lines,  ''I  lay 
my  sins  on  Jesus."  The  first  night  of  suffering  he,  half- 
unconsciously,  spoke  the  name  "Jesus."  Who  shall  take 
from  us  who  loved  him  the  hope  that,  having  been  baptized 
in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  he  had  also  been  washed 
and  made  clean  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ? 

One  other  was  deeply  impressed  for  a  time,  but  was  held 
back  from  coming  out  on  the  Lord's  side  by  difficulties  at 
home ;  not  having  courage  to  give  up  all  for  his  Saviour. 
He  afterwards  became  quite  careless  and  sinful,  but  con- 
tinued from  time  to  time  to  pray.     A  few  months  since  he 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  127 

too  was  called  to  go  upon  that  journey  from  which  no 
traveler  returns.  I  was  not  with  him,  but  he  asked  prayers 
of  many  and  prayed  himself.  We  remember  the  story  of 
the  dying  thief.  Two  of  the  five  are  members  of  the  visible 
church ;  the  other  remains  the  same,  neither  anxious  nor 
indifferent.  During  the  four  years,  twenty-two  have  joined 
the  communion  of  the  Church ;  two  others  joined  the 
Methodists,  and  one  the  Baptist  communion.  Many  have 
removed  from  the  town,  and  of  these,  two  are  Sunday- 
school  teachers  in  other  States  ;  five  others  are  communing 
in  their  respective  places  of  residence  ;  others  still  have  left 
the  place  who  are  not  professors,  some  doing  well ;  one  or 
two,  I  fear,  are  very  careless.  I  correspond  with  all  who 
leave  their  homes,  and  often  know  more  of  them  than  their 
parents.  One  young  man  is  preparing  for  the  ministry  of 
the  Church. 

You  may  ask,  ''Are  all  these  faithful  to  the  cause  they 
have  embraced?"  Two,  I  fear,  have  looked  back;  some 
others  are  often  inconsistent,  but  do  not  give  up  the  habit 
of  prayer.  Many  there  are  who  adorn  the  doctrine  of  the 
Cross  as  burning  and  shining  lights.  Brands  plucked  from 
the  burning,  they  have  become  pillars  about  our  beautiful 
Zion. 


ANTI-INCRUSTATOR. 

It  is  lamentably  apparent  that,  even  in  this  favored  land, 
the  Christian  Church,  although  free  from  all  state  alliances, 
is  utilizing  so  little  of  her  divine  power  that  the  chief  part 
of  the  people  are  not  only  irreligious,  but  are  increasing  in 
their  alienation  from  her  ministrations. 

When  human  or  mechanical  power  is  from  any  cause 
hindered  from  giving  out  its  full  force,  the  children  of  this 


128  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

world  ceaselessly  labor  until  the  cause  is  ascertained  and  a 
remedy  applied.  A  recent  example  of  this  kind  should 
quicken  the  Children  of  Light  in  their  obvious  duty,  and 
encourage  them  to  seek  perseveringly  for  a  remedy.  There 
is  a  striking  analogy  between  a  steam-engine  and  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  Caloric,  the  great  mechanical  power,  when 
infused  into  water,  concentrated  in  a  boiler,  and  used  in 
appropriate  machinery,  enables  man  to  overcome  difficul- 
ties hitherto  insurmountable,  and  wellnigh  to  revolutionize 
the  earth.  Grace,  the  great  spiritual  power,  when  infused 
into  man,  concentrated  in  the  Church,  and  used  in  its  di- 
vinely arranged  machinery,  is  God's  engine  for  uprooting 
the  kingdom  of  Satan  and  producing  a  moral  and  spiritual 
revolution  in  the  world.  As  all  the  water  used  in  making 
steam  is  more  or  less  impure,  incrustations  are  formed  on 
the  inner  surface  of  the  boiler,  just  over  the  fire,  wasting 
much  of  the  power  of  fuel ;  so  in  the  Church,  incrustations 
are  formed  from  man's  imperfections,  hindering  the  utili- 
zation of  divine  power. 

By  a  simple  arrangement  in  the  boiler,  it  is  asserted  by 
inventors  that  a  little  of  the  power  of  steam  is  so  modified 
as  to  produce  a  magnetic  or  electric  current,  which,  when 
directed  to  the  surface  on  which  the  incrustation  has  been 
formed,  gently  and  thoroughly  removes  it,  and  prevents  its 
re-formation.  This  so-called  '*Anti-Incrustator"  is  an 
important  discovery,  for  it  is  claimed  that  it  not  only  util- 
izes much  valuable  power,  but  also  prevents  explosions  and 
injuries  to  the  boiler  caused  by  forcible  attempts  to  remove 
incrustations.  Efforts  to  remove  Church  incrustations  by 
force,  or  to  overcome  these  hinderances  by  intensifying 
public  services,  having  proved  alike  injurious,  the  discovery 
of  some  magnetic  or  electric  modification  of  humanized 
divine  power  is  not  only  important  to  give  a  new  impulse 
to  the  Church,  but  it  is  evidently  essential  to  the  fulfilment 
of  her  divine  mission. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


129 


Church  Congresses  and  Delegate  Missionary  Meetings 
are  hopeful  indications  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  stirring  up 
the  Children  of  Light  to  become  wise  in  their  generation, 
for  at  these  meetings,  magnetic  or  electric  currents  are  in- 
duced by  the  contact  of  heart  with  heart,  because  exercised 
in  the  single  purpose  of  extending  Christ's  Kingdom,  with- 
out a  caucus,  an  election,  or  any  other  act  calculated  to 
produce  partisan  alienation  or  strife. 

It  is  further  found  that  this  magnetic,  electric,  or  sympa- 
thetic modification  of  spiritual  power  inclines  her  ministers 
and  members  to  restrain  the  authoritative,  and  to  bring  the 
persuasive  power  to  bear  on  those  classes  that  are  most 
estranged  from  the  Christian  Church.  Fortunately  this 
modification  and  new  direction  of  power  receive  the  cor- 
dial approval  of  all  types  of  Churchmen,  because  it  is  both 
spiritual  and  orderly,  bringing  the  hitherto  neglected  ones 
to  Christ  and  his  Church,  by  visits  to  their  homes,  by 
Christian  fellowship,  by  instruction  suited  to  the  capacity 
and  condition  of  each  individual,  by  prayer  with  them  sep- 
arately, and  by  socializing  them  in  Bible-classes  and  in 
mothers'  meetings.  Although  men  seldom  possess  or  culti- 
vate this  persuasive  power,  yet  with  women  it  is  almost 
instinctive  ;  therefore  it  was  well  to  inaugurate  the  work  by 
inducing  ladies  of  cultivation  and  good  social  position  to 
undertake  it  under  the  sanction  and  direction  of  their  min- 
isters. The  magnetic  current  of  Christian,  sympathizing 
love  is  heightened  in  its  beneficial  influence  by  their  self- 
denying  efforts  to  soften  and  elevate  persons  far  below  them 
in  social  position. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  abundantly  blessing  these  labors  of 
love,  and  when  the  clergy  will  ennoble  this  work  by  mani- 
festing a  high  appreciation  of  it,  and  will  perseveringly 
direct  all  their  persuasive  power  towards  each  incrustated 
communicant,  the  Church  will  soon  generate  all  the  force 
needed  to  enable  her  to  fulfil  her  mission  to  souls  that  are 

F* 


130  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

now  corrupting  their  way  within  sight  of  our  consecrated 
buildings. 

The  following  record  is  most  encouraging,  for  a  harder 
test  of  this  modified  power  of  the  Church  could  not  be  de- 
manded than  the  entrance  of  an  entire  stranger  into  a  parish 
where  there  was  neither  a  free  service  nor  a  single  unrented 
sitting.  The  preparation  of  this  paper  was  an  act  of  great 
self-denial ;  it  was  obtained  by  urgent  solicitation,  under 
the  belief  that  the  spirit  now  moving  in  the  Church  would, 
through  this  narrative  of  real  occurrences,  stir  up  other 
rectors  to  inaugurate  a  similar  movement,  and  enable  them 
to  draw  out  the  latent  persuasive  power  that  modest  Chris- 
tian women  are  slow  to  proffer.  W. 

About  a  year  ago,  I  was  much  surprised,  one  day,  by  the 
receipt  of  a  note  from  a  clergyman  with  whom  I  was  very 
slightly  acquainted,  urging  me  to  aid  him  in  inaugurating 
missionary  work  in  his  parish. 

After  a  momentary  feeling  of  surprise,  I  almost  dismissed 
the  subject  from  my  mind,  for  the  parish  was  distant  from 
my  home,  I  was  a  total  stranger  in  it,  and  I  was,  moreover, 
expecting  soon  to  enter  upon  a  different  field. 

But  the  ^'Divinity  that  shapes  our  ends"  soon  made  it 

clear  to  me  that  the  '^  call"  to Church  was  from  God, 

and  I  accepted  it.  I  "  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  I 
went." 

And  now  the  question  was,  how  and  where  to  begin  ? 
The  church  is  small,  and  every  sitting  in  it  was  rented ; 
no  really  poor  people  were  connected  with  it.  What,  then, 
should  be  our  base  ? 

A  sewing-school  had  been  in  successful  operation  for  two 
winters,  and  I  was  invited  to  become  its  nominal  direc- 
tress, in  order  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  teachers, 
and  through  them  of  the  children  and  their  parents. 

You  may  imagine,  for  I  will  not  attempt  to  desc.ibe,  the 


THEIR   SAVINGS  AND   DOINGS.  131 

feelings  with  which  I  found  myself,  one  afternoon,  in  the 
rector's  parlor,  the  centre  of  a  company  of  twenty  ladies 
(no  one  of  whom  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  before),  and 
was  introduced  as  one  who  was  to  begin  among  them  a  new 
order  of  things. 

It  was  decided  that  I  should  at  once  enter  upon  a  course 
of  visiting  in  the  district.  In  the  first  place,  I  accompanied 
each  teacher  in  the  sewing-school  to  see  her  scholars  ;  next, 
I  went  the  rounds  with  each  lady  teacher  in  the  Sunday- 
school  who  had  children  of  the  working-people  in  her 
class ;  then  I  looked  up  all  of  that  caste  connected  with 
the  boys'  school ;  and  finally,  accompanied  by  various 
ladies  of  the  congregation,  I  canvassed  the  whole  district, 
going  from  door  to  door  in  the  courts,  alleys,  and  small 
streets. 

The  field  struck  mis  as  a  promising  one.  The  population 
of  the  district  was  made  up  of  about  one-half  Germans, 
the  other  half  Americans,  most  of  them  hard-working  but 
thrifty  people,  above  the  degradation  of  pauperism.  The 
Germans  attended  the  Lutheran  churches  on  Sunday  morn- 
ings, and  the  lager-beer  saloons  on  Sunday  afternoons ;  the 
Americans  seldom  entered  any  place  of  worship.  All  ad- 
mitted the  reality  and  importance  of  religion,  and  seemed 
to  feel  ashamed  of  their  neglect  of  it. 

Everywhere  we  unfolded  our  programme, — a  Bible-class 
for  men,  a  mothers'  meeting  for  women.  But  "what  was 
a  mothers'  meeting?"  They  had  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing.  We  painted  it  in  glowing  colors :  "A  social  even- 
ing meeting  of  friends  and  neighbors,  a  break  in  the 
monotony  of  home,  a  rest  from  care  and  anxiety,  and  a 
blessed  opportunity  for  hearing  God's  Word  and  for  prayer, 
all  without  the  publicity  of  the  great  congregation,  and — 
not  least  of  all — these  privileges  to  be  enjoyed  in  a  calico 
dress,  and  with  a  baby,  if  need  be,  in  the  arms." 

There  were,  of  course,  many  excuses  for  not  coming  to 


132 


WOMEN  HELPERS   IN    THE    CHURCH 


the  mothers'  meeting:  the  husband's  supper  to  get,  the 
children  to  be  seen  to,  etc.,  though  most  of  the  women 
exclaimed,  '^  Oh,  how  nice  !  That  will  be  very  pleasant ! 
I  will  come  !" 

This  cordiality,  together  with  the  general  thrift  and  in- 
dustry, so  different  from  the  pauperism  of  the  Irish,  cheered 
me  very  much,  and  made  me  draw  many  invidious  com- 
parisons between  them  and  the  Germans. 

And  now  came  the  time  fof  the  fulfilment  of  these  prom- 
ises. Our  first  mothers'  meeting  was  appointed  for  an 
evening  towards  the  close  of  November.  There  were  four 
German  women  present,  three  of  whom  were  sisters,  buxom, 
cheery  women,  who  had  evidently  come  for  an  entertain- 
ment, and  could  not  give  themselves  up  to  our  powers  of 
fascination,  because  they  were  wondering  all  the  while  what 
was  to  come  next.  I  am  sure  they  expected  some  magic- 
lantern  or  other  exhibition.  Of  course  they  went  away 
disappointed,  and  never  returned.  The  fourth  individual 
was  a  poor,  sorrowful  widow,  who  could  not  understand 
ten  words  of  English. 

The  next  meeting  was  worse  yet,  and  the  next,  and  the 
next ;  up  to  the  beginning  of  February  there  were  never 
more  than  six  women  present,  and  one  evening  we  had 
but  one  !  My  co-workers  asked  again  and  again  if  I  in- 
tended to  give  up.  Such  a  thought  never  entered  my  head. 
But  it  was  evident  that  something  must  be  done  out  of  the 
ordinary  routine.  These  people  knew  nothing  of  the 
Church,  felt  no  interest  in  religion,  and  were  entire 
strangers  to  me. 

How  would  it  do  to  show  them  a  stereoscope  and  some 
scrap-books  with  views  of  foreign  lands?  We  obtained 
the  rector's  sanction,  and  thus  the  beginning  of  pleasure 
in  the  meetings  was  obtained.  In  addition  to  the  stereo- 
scope and  pictures,  and  gradually  taking  the  place  of  them, 
was  the   reading  aloud,  in  the  first   place,  of  some  short 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  133 

article  or  tract,  such  as  '^  Mother's  Last  Words,"  ''Our 
Father's  Care,"  etc.,  and  subsequently  of  some  instructive 
story-book,  the  interest  in  which  served  to  induce  regular- 
ity in  attendance.  ''Homes  in  Humble  Life"  they  liked 
very  much,  and  each  evening  that  I  asked  "if  they  would 
rather  listen  to  the  reading  or  go  on  with  their  conversa- 
tion," which  was  making  a  cheerful  hum  through  the 
room,  there  was  a  unanimous  call  for  "the  reading!  we 
always  like  the  reading." 

Finding  their  enjoyment  so  keen  of  books  read  aloud, 
we  threw  open  the  parish  library  to  them,  and  were 
astonished  at  the  number  of  books  taken  out.  There  is 
not  a  week  in  which  less  than  two-thirds  of  the  women 
take  out  books,  and  I  know,  from  questioning  them,  that 
they  are  read. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  the  visiting  had  been  con- 
tinuous, unintermitted.  Every  family  in  which  we  had 
received  even  a  gleam  of  encouragement  was  called  upon 
again  and  again,  and  by  dint  of  importunity  and  perse- 
verance one  and  another  was  induced  to  attend.  Gradually 
the  object  of  these  meetings  grew  clear  to  them,  and  little 
by  little  we  ladies  won  their  confidence  and  affection,  so 
that  when  spring  came,  and  we  invited  them  and  their 
husbands  to  a  simple  little  festival  in  the  church,  we  had 
about  thirty  mothers  on  our  roll-book,  though  we  had 
never  more  than  half  that  number  in  attendance.  Though 
the  meetings  were  kept  up  through  the  summer,  there  was 
no  perceptible  numerical  increase,  but  a  very  pleasant 
social  feeling  was  springing  up,  together  with  some  reli- 
gious interest.  In  the  fall,  however,  everything  began  to 
wear  a  different  aspect.  The  Germans  who  could  not  un- 
derstand English,  and  others  who  came  from  mere  curi- 
osity, or  to  see  what  they  could  get,  had  gradually  dropped 
off;  those  who  were  left  came  from  real  interest,  began  to 
feel  at  home,  and  became  themselves  efficient  helpers  in 


134  WOMEN  HELPERS  IX  THE    CHURCH, 

drawing  in  others.  And  now,  at  the  close  of  a  year,  in  a 
new  field,  and  under  discouraging  circumstances,  we  feel 
that  the  foundation  is  at  last  laid,  and  we  look  forward 
prayerfully  and  hopefully  to  the  coming  season,  trusting 
that  we  shall  see  gathered  into  the  fold  of  the  Good  Shep- 
herd some  precious  souls  which  have  hitherto  been  as  sheep 
going  astray. 

The  present  number  of  mothers  on  our  roll  is  forty,  the 
attendance  about  thirty.  We  have  also  just  commenced  a 
Sunday  Bible-class  for  them,  which  promises  well,  sixteen 
of  our  mothers  having  been  present  on  the  third  Sunday 
after  it  was  organized. 

Simultaneously  with  the  mothers'  meeting,  I  undertook 
the  establishment  of  a  Bible-class  for  men.  One  young 
man  had  expressed  to  the  rector  his  desire  to  become  a 
member  of  such  a  class.  I  invited  a  young  grocer  to  join 
it,  and  he  instantly  accepted  the  invitation,  adding,  ''With 
your  permission,  I  will  bring  a  friend  with  me."  This 
was  quite  encouraging,  and  I  went  on  my  way  rejoicing. 
Several  weeks  spent  in  visiting  resulted  in  many  promises 
of  scholars,  principally  from  wives  on  behalf  of  their  hus- 
bands, whom  I  could  rarely  find  at  home.  I  must  confess 
to  a  feeling  of  disappointment  on  arriving  at  the  class-room 
for  the  first  time,  on  the  last  Sunday  in  November,  at  find- 
ing there  only  the  three  young  men  I  have  spoken  of;  the 
next  Sunday  there  were  but  two,  one  of  the  above  being 
sick. 

I  called  again  at  all  the  houses  at  which  I  had  before  met 
any  encouragement,  and  received  various  excuses ;  com- 
pany had  prevented  one,  a  funeral  another,  some  had  for- 
gotten, and  all  were  evidently  indifferent.  I  saw  that 
invitations  at  second-hand  (through  the  wives)  would  effect 
nothing,  and  therefore  made  efforts  to  see  the  men  at  their 
dinner-hour  or  at  their  work.  Thus  several  promises  from 
the  men  themselves  were  obtained,  most  of  which  I  felt  at 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


•^35 


the  time  were  given  merely  because  they  did  not  think  it 
would  be  polite  to  refuse ;  but  never  mind,  their  word  had 
been  given,  and  it  is  always  best  to  try  to  believe  a  man's 
word.  Openings  were  thus  afforded  for  visit  after  visit,  and 
invitation  after  invitation  ;  and  thus,  by  leaving  no  stone  un- 
turned, it  came  to  pass  that  at  the  end  of  two  months  I  had 
fifteen  names  upon  my  roll.  But,  alas  !  the  roll  was  any- 
thing but  satisfactory,  for  of  the  fifteen  eight  were  Germans, 
who  I  knew  could  not  understand  half  I  said. 

As  the  days  grew  longer  I  was  able  to  do  some  visiting 
on  Sunday  afternoons,  after  the  class  was  dismissed.  The 
result  of  the  first  of  these  visits  was  encouraging.  I  had 
previously  seen  the  man's  wife,  who  had  said  her  husband 
*'  might  perhaps  come  ;"  but  he  had  not  yet  done  so,  nor 

had  I  seen  himself.     On  this  Sunday  afternoon  Mr.  F 

was  at  home  alone,  and  came  up  from  the  cellar  all  covered 
with  ashes,  prepared  to  make  a  fire  in  the  cold,  dirty  stove. 
He  had  been  asleep  almost  all  day,  being  tired  from  work- 
ing hard  through  the  week.  I  made  him  sit  down  beside 
me,  and  drew  from  him  an  outline  of  his  history,  which 
was,  that  though  early  taught  in  St.  James's  Sunday-school, 
he  had  rarely  been  inside  of  a  church  for  twenty-four  years, 
and  was  living  '' without  God  in  the  world."  After  a  very 
earnest  talk,  by  which  he  seemed  somewhat  impressed,  I 
knelt  with  him  in  prayer.  When  we  rose,  his  eyes  were  wet 
with  tears,  and  he  promised  to  be  at  the  class  the  following 
Sunday.  He  kept  his  word,  and  has  never  since  been  ab- 
sent, except  when  detained  at  home  by  sickness.  In  May 
he  was  baptized  and  confirmed,  notwithstanding  severe 
home  persecution,  and  has  lived  a  consistent  Christian  life 
ever  since. 

I  had  felt  that  the  Bible-class  was  to  be  my  main  work, 
and  had  undertaken  the  mothers'  meeting  as  a  separate  and, 
to  me,  far  less  interesting  enterprise.  But  I  now  began  to 
reap  some  cheering  fruits  from  the  latter,  in  the  addition  to 


136  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

the  class  of  one  after  another  of  the  husbands.    Mr.  A 

was  one  of  these.  As  a  wounded  shoulder  disabled  him 
for  work,  he  was  much  at  home,  and  I  thus  had  frequent 
opportunities  for  seeing  and  inviting  him.  But  he  always 
had  excuses,  some  good,  some  not  so.  At  last,  however, 
his  wife  came  into  the  class-room,  one  Sunday  afternoon, 
radiant  with  joy.  Her  husband  was  waiting  outside  to  see 
me  and  join  the  class.  He  has  been  absent  but  once  since 
then,  and  a  few  Sundays  ago  brought  his  two  sons  to  be 
enrolled  as  members.  But,  better  than  all,  I  hope  and 
believe  that  he  is  now  truly  and  earnestly  seeking  the  sal- 
vation of  his  soul. 

At  the  end  of  a  few  months,  several  of  the  class  had  found 
peace  in  believing  in  Jesus,  and  had  made  a  profession  of 
their  faith  in  Baptism  and  Confirmation.  One  natural  con- 
sequence was  a  desire  for  the  growth  of  the  class  whose 
teachings  had  been  blessed  to  their  own  souls,  and  thus  the 
old  members  became  agents  for  bringing  in  new  ones.    Mr. 

F has  thus,  directly  or  indirectly,  added  four  to  our 

numbers.  For  five  successive  Sundays  he  called  for  and 
brought  to  the  class  a  man  who  had  promised  to  come,  but 
who  would  otherwise  have  allowed  any  trivial  excuse  to 
keep  him  away ;  and  now  this  man  is  himself  one  of  the 
most  deeply  interested,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  intelli- 
gent members. 

Amongst  those  brought  in  from  the  general  canvassing 
was  an  English  family,  who  seldom  attended  any  church, 
the  husband  going  occasionally  by  himself.  Many  and 
many  a  visit  was  paid  before  he  could  be  induced  to  come 
to  the  Bible-class,  and  for  a  long  time  he  came  quite  irreg- 
ularly, kept  away  by  any  slight  excuse.  I  fell  upon  the 
expedient  of  calling  for  him  on  Sunday  afternoons,  just 
before  class-time,  and  thus  he  gradually  grew  more  regular; 
but  he  showed  no  interest  in  the  instruction,  and  in  the 
three  or   four    direct    personal    conversations  I  had  with 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


137 


him,  he  seemed  so  cold,  and  hard,  and  unimpressible  that 
I  concluded  it  would  be  best  to  leave  him  to  the  gradual 
effect  of  that  Word  which  ''droppeth  as  the  gentle  dew" 
upon  the  hardened  soil.  Two  months  had  passed  thus, 
when  one   evening  I  received  a  note  from  the  rector,  in 

which  he  said,  ''  Mr.  M was  in  church  last  night.   Is  he 

not  becoming  more  interested  in  religion?"  With  much 
self-reproach  for  my  blindness,  I  resolved  to  seek  an  inter- 
view as  soon  as  possible,  and  asked  Mr.  M to  wait  and 

talk  with  me  after  service.  That  afternoon  we  had  a  dull 
sermon  from  a  deacon,  followed  by  a  few  earnest  words,  by 
the  rector,  from  St.  Paul's  appellation  of  himself  as  ''the 
chief  of  sinners."     After  the  congregation  had  dispersed, 

and  Mr.  M and  I  were  alone,  I  was  astonished  to  find 

my  first  words  met  by  the  quivering  lip,  the  moistened  eye, 
and  the  tremulous  voice  of  the  hitherto  cold,  hard  man. 
The  rock  of  flint  had  been  touched  by  the  wand  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  waters  gushed  out.  His  mind  had  been 
deeply  exercised  and  anxious  for  some  weeks  ;  he  had 
talked  to  his  wife  about  his  feelings,  and  had  tried  to  pray. 
The  rector's  appeal  had  gone  to  his  heart ;  he  felt  himself 
*'the  chief  of  sinners,"  and  longed  to  find  a  Saviour. 

You  know  the  blessedness  of  pointing  a  poor  soul  to 
"the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world." 

I  hope  and  believe  that  Mr.  M is  now  an  humble, 

earnest  Christian,  rejoicing  in  Jesus.  He  longs  for  the 
Lord's  Day,  and  finds  it  all  too  short ;  he  is  deeply  anxious 
about  his  wife ;  talks  to  and  instructs  her  constantly,  and 
prays  with  her  morning  and  evening.  And  his  efforts  on 
her  behalf  are  being  richly  blessed.  She  mourns  over  her 
sins  with  godly  sorrow,  and  reaches  after  the  Cross  as  her 
only  refuge  and  hope. 

For  the  past  two  months  I  have  devoted  at  least  four 
hours  each  Sunday  to  visiting,  the  beneficial  effect  of  which 


138  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

has  been  very  marked.  Not  only  is  the  personal  influence 
of  the  teacher  thus  greatly  increased,  but  opportunity  is 
afforded  in  these  visits  for  bringing  home  to  the  individual 
conscience  the  lessons  of  the  class,  and,  moreover,  outsiders 
and  strangers  are  reached  and  drawn  in  by  acquaintance 
with  the  teacher,  who  without  that  could  never  have  been 
induced  merely  by  the  persuasions  of  their  friends  to  attend. 
These  visits  are  always  hailed  with  delight  by  members  of 
the  class ;  but  in  calling  upon  others  I  have  sometimes  en- 
countered rudeness.  I  always  feel  that  I  have  no  more 
right  to  pay  a  domiciliary  visit  to  a  poor  man  than  to  a 
rich  one,  and  consequently  make  it  a  point  to  observe  the 
most  scrupulous  courtesy  and  kindness,  so  that  if  there 
should  be  rudeness  shown,  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  I  have  not  wantonly  provoked  it ;  nevertheless,  it 
will  come  now  and  then.     Here  is  an  illustration  : — I  had 

called  many  times  to  see  Mrs.  F ,  a  young  wife,  who 

was  always  polite,  and  ''very  sorry  that  rheumatism  pre- 
vented her  attendance  at  the  mothers'  meeting ;  she  would 
like  her  husband  to  go  to  the  class,  and  often  told  him 
so,  but  could  not  persuade  him."  I  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  must  see  him,  and  at  last,  one  Sunday  morning  at 
nine  o'clock,  I  stepped  up  to  the  front  door.  It  was  open, 
and   the  family  seated  at  breakfast.     I  apologized  for  my 

early  call,  and  was  politely  invited  in  by  Mrs.  F ,  but, 

as  they  were  at  breakfast,  I  offered  to  go  away  and  call  at 
some  other  time,  but  she  insisted  that  they  had  finished, 
and  I  walked  in.  After  a  few  minutes'  chat  with  the  wife, 
during  which,  as  well  as  throughout  the  previous  colloquy, 
the  man  had  sat  in  sullen  silence  and  with  averted  face,  I 

turned  towards  him,  and  said,  "Mr.  F ,  did  your  wife 

give  you  the  invitation  I  left  for  you  to  come  to  my  Bible- 
class?" 

"Yes,  she  did,"  he  replied,  angrily;  "  but  I  wouldn't  be 
seen  in  such  a  place,  and  I  told  her  to  tell  you  so." 


THEIR  SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  139 

''May  I  ask  why  not?"  said  I. 

''I  wouldn't  be  seen  in  such  company,"  was  the  rude 

and  loud  reply. 

"Well,"  said  I,  laughingly,  ''you  are  complimentary; 
but  whom  do  you  object  to,  teacher  or  scholars?" 

' '  All  of  them  !    They  are  all  alike  !    I  would  not  be  seen 
with  any  of  the  sort." 

Well,  thought    I,  he   is   at  least    outspoken.     There   is 
honesty  in  the  man,  if  nothing  else;  he  is  worth  probing. 
He  had  by  this  time  left  the  table,  and  seated  himself 
in    the   rocking-chair,    opposite    me,  with   a   defiant   air. 
Gently  and  cautiously  I  tried  to  draw  him  out,  and  found 
that  he  thought  his  own  strict  morality  far  more  acceptable 
to  God  than  all  the  ''cant  and  hypocrisy"  of  "professors." 
He  enlarged  upon  the  gossiping  and  love  of  dress  too  com- 
mon amongst  church-goers,  etc.     I  of  course  could  assent 
to  much  that  he  said,  and  deeply  deplored  the  fact  that  the 
lives  of  many  of  the  men  of  the  world  were  far  purer  and 
more  exemplary  than  those  of  many  so-called  Christians. 
These  concessions  mollified  him,  his  countenance  gradually 
relaxed,  the  tone  of  his  voice  became  genial  and  pleasant, 
and  the  whole  man  transformed,  so  that  he  listened  earnestly 
and  attentively  to  a  warm  and  animated  exhortation  from 
me  to  begin  a  true  Christian  life  himself;  and  at  last,  when 
I  arose  to  take  leave,  he  shook  me  cordially  by  the  hand, 
and  begged  me  to  come  again. 

But  enough.  I  have  given  you  a  brief  view  of  some  of 
the  difficulties  we  have  had  to  encounter.  Yet  we  have  the 
greatest  reason  to  thank  God  for  the  manifest  answers  He 
has  vouchsafed  to  prayer  for  the  Bible-class,  which  has  slowly 
and  steadily  grown,  so  that  at  one  of  our  recent  sessions 
thirty-five  members  were  present,  and  we  have  encouraging 
evidences  that  the  Word  is  being  sent  home  with  power, 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  many  hearts. 

Our  work,  thus  growing  upon  our  hands,  frequently  sug- 


I40  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

gested  the  anxious  question,  ''Should  not  additional  Sun- 
day services  be  provided  for  these  hungry  and  thirsty 
souls?"  But  how  was  it  to  be  done?  Every  sitting  in  the 
church  was  occupied  and  paid  for.  We  had  no  right  to 
ask  our  eighty  men  and  women  to  come  in  and  occupy  the 
pews  of  others.  Another  service,  at  which  the  pews  should 
be  free  to  all,  was  obviously  needed,  and  it  was  accordingly 
inaugurated  by  the  rector  a  few  Sundays  ago,  the  children 
of  the  Sunday-school  forming  the  choir.  We  cannot  know 
as  yet  whether  these  services  will  prove  a  success,  but  we 
have  reason  to  hope  so,  from  the  delight  with  which  they 
were  hailed,  and  the  regularity  with  which  they  are  attended 
by  ''our  people." 

My  tale  is  told.  A  simple  record  of  a  little  work  in  one 
corner  of  the  Lord's  vineyard ;  work,  however,  which 
would  never  have  reached  a  tithe  of  its  present  proportions 
without  the  steady,  earnest,  and  hearty  aid  and  encourage- 
ment of  the  rector,  whose  visits,  smiles,  and  prayers  have 
proved  amongst  our  choicest  blessings. 


SECRET   OF   SUCCESS. 

The  world  was  recently  intensely  interested  in  the  ex- 
ploits of  three  frail  yachts  contending  for  the  mastery  over 
a  wintry  ocean,  and  then  throwing  down  the  gauntlet  to  a 
prince  in  the  mother  country.  The  wind  of  heaven  fur- 
nished all  the  motive  power ;  but  the  firm  resolve,  the 
sleepless  watchfulness,  and  the  indomitable  perseverance  of 
the  navigators  reveal  the  secret  of  success. 

Is  the  Church  as  deeply  interested  in  the  exploits  of  a 
few  fragile  women,  who,  moved  by  the  breath  of  heaven. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOIXGS. 


141 


are  successfully  contending  for  the  mastery  over  "the 
wicked,"  likened  in  Holy  Writ  to  the  "raging  waves  of  the 
sea  foaming  out  their  own  shame"  ? 

Men  feared  to  brave  this  "  troubled  sea,"  yet  women 
have  launched  their  frail  barks,  and,  after  gaining  the 
mastery  over  it,  have  thrown  down  the  gauntlet  to  the 
"  prince  of  this  world,"  modestly  averring  that  the  secret 
of  their  success  is  "  praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  sup- 
plication in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all 
perseverance," 

These  zealous  women  do  not  say  to  the  "possessed," 
Move  out  of  your  tenement  houses,  leave  your  dissolute 
parents  and  associates,  be  clothed  and  in  your  right  mind, 
and  then  we  will  try  to  benefit  you.  They  carry  the  glad 
tidings  of  a  free  and  complete  salvation  even  to  young  men 
reveling  in  unsatiited  lust ;  they  pray  with  all  prayer  ;  they 
watch,  they  persevere,  believing  that  "where  sin  abounds, 
grace  does  much  more  abound." 

St.  Jude  thus  instructs  them:  "Of  some  have  com- 
passion, making  a  difference,  and  others  save,  pulling 
them  out  of  the  fire  ;"  therefore  they  "make  a  difference" 
in  their  instruction  and  training,  according  to  character, 
habits,  and  surroundings,  saving  some  by  resolutely  "pull- 
ing them  out  of  the  fire." 

"  The  men  of  Israel  and  of  Judah  arose,  and  shouted, 
and  pursued  the  Philistines,"  after  a  mere  "stripling"  had 
hurled  a  stone  in  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  and  is  not  God 
even  now  inciting  his  host  to  action,  by  again  choosing 
"the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  mighty"  ? 
Surely  the  following  paper  and  others  in  this  volume, 
furnish  abundant  evidence  that  godless  youth,  the  Philis- 
tines of  the  present  day,  have  been  bowed  with  their  faces 
to  the  earth,  by  a  weapon  that  even  spiritual  striplings  can 
acquire  skill  in  using.  Eliab,  filled  with  cowardice  and 
envy,  tried  by  ridicule  to  restrain  the  brave  youth  from 


142 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 


doing  God's  bidding,  and  after  the  victory,  ''■  Saul  eyed 
David  from  that  day  and  forward." 

In  time  of  threatened  invasion  this  Christian  community 
looked  to  these  ungodly  youth  as  saviours  of  their  country, 
urging  them  to  death  where  oaths  formed  the  battle-cry. 
After  adding  to  their  defilement  by  war,  Christians  pass  on 
to  their  respective  churches,  allaying  conscience  with  an 
expression  of  holy  horror,  when  disturbed  by  the  profanity 
or  obscenity  of  these  lawless  young  men  ;  or  perchance 
conscience  is  further  relieved  by  censuring  the  police  for 
remissness. 

The  Psalmist  says  ''the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them 
that  fear  Him ;"  and  there  are  few  spectacles  on  earth  more 
sublime  than  that  of  a  refined,  sensitive  woman  striving  to 
reveal  that  secret  to  an  unwilling  listener  who  is  *'  enjoying 
the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season,"  sustained  by  a  ''  crowd" 
of  kindred  spirits  who  ridicule  him  for  yielding  to  woman's 
influence. 

The  strife  does  seem  most  unequal ;  a  delicate  woman  on 
the  one  side,  and  on  the  other  a  brawny,  vulgar  youth, 
backed  by  companions  who  resolve  that  evil  shall  not  be 
overcome  with  good.  When  a  debased  mind  first  faintly 
apprehends  this  secret  of  the  Lord,  the  devil  makes  such 
desperate  efforts  to  choke  the  seed,  that  the  teacher  is  com- 
pelled to  resort  to  all  prayer,  supplication,  watchfulness, 
and  perseverance,  to  countervail  the  plots  of  the  enemy. 

This  divinely  human  power  has  been  successfully  tested. 
Reader,  do  you  not  hear  the  voice  of  the  Lord  saying, 
"Whom  shall  I  send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?" — and  are 
you  ready  to  respond,  ''  Here  am  I,  send  me"  ?  W. 

My  dear  Sir, — In  my  last  letter  I  gave  you  some  idea 
of  the  plan  I  pursued  in  commencing  a  young  men's  Bible- 
class,  and  the  partial  history  of  two  of  its  members,  with  a 
brief  account  of  the  result  of  four  years'  experience.     You 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


143 


desire  me  to  follow  up  the  history  of  one  of  these  young 
men,  and  to  tell  you  also  how  I  approached  and  gained  an 
influence  over  the  variety  of  minds  in  my  class. 

It  really  is  a  much  easier  work  than  an  inexperienced 
woman  would  imagine.  I  would  have  refused  it  had  I  been 
told  that  in  a  short  time  some  forty  strong,  rough  fellows 
would  be  under  my  care  and  instruction.  But  it  has  grown 
upon  my  hands,  and  now  nothing  seems  so  simple,  nothing 
so  delightfully  interesting,  as  to  labor  in  \\\\'s> particular  part 
of  the  Lord's  vineyard.  It  comes  as  natural  for  me  to  speak 
to  a  working-man  or  boy  about  his  soul's  interest,  as  to 
carry  bread  to  an  aged  woman.  I  have  met  with  no  dis- 
respect, no  unkindness ;  on  the  contrary,  some  who  are 
rough  to  every  one  else,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  meet 
me  with  a  gentleness  of  manner  that  their  parents  and 
friends  would  think  it  impossible  for  them  to  evince. 

They  require  constant  watching  and  following  up ;  no 
flagging  oimXQ.xt^\.,  but  perseverance,  patience,  d^xA  prayer 
without  ceasing. 

Woman  can  do  her  part  in  the  Church  by  seeking  out 
and  leading  to  Christ  with  the  voice  of  kindness  and  the 
heart  of  sympathy,  and  following  up  those  who,  for  a  little 
moment,  have  lent  a  listening  ear  to  the  word  of  warning 
from  the  Sunday-school  teacher,  or  perchance  from  Christ's 
minister,  but  have  gone  out  and  forgotten  the  good  im- 
pression. 

The  history  of  F shows  the  amount  of  watchfulness 

and  perseverance  that  are  sometimes  needful  to  save  a  soul 
from  ruin,  and  it  also  shows  that  God  blesses  and  rewards 
the  importunate  pleadings  of  his  children  on  behalf  of  each 
other. 

For  three  weeks  F had  kept  from  the  tavern,  had 

come  regularly  to  church  and  Bible-class,  had  prayed 
daily,  was  subdued  and  gentle  in  manner,  and  I  had  begun 
to  hope   all  was  well,  when   one  night  he  staggered   into 


144  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

night-school.  He  had  sufficient  control  of  himself  to 
know  where  he  was,  and  that  my  eyes  were  upon  him  ; 
but  my  heart  was  too  full  to  allow  me  to  speak.  He  tried 
to  write  ;  I  saw  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  accomplish  any- 
thing ;  and,  fearing  he  would  get  angry,  and  go  away 
because  of  mortification,  I  stood  between  him  and  the 
others  to  shield  him  from  observation,  then  gently  but 
firmly  drew  the  copy-book  away,  slipped  a  book  of  travels 
on  the  table,  and  went  on  with  my  duties.  He  placed 
both  elbows  upon  the  table,  rested  his  head  on  his  hands, 
and  read.  How  much  he  comprehended  I  do  not  know; 
but  it  accomplished  the  end  I  had  in  view,  that  of  keeping 
him  from  the  street  and  from  temptation.  By  the  time 
night-school  was  over  he  was  quite  himself,  and  willingly 
stayed  with  me,  but  was  dreadfully  desponding,  and  for  a 
time  would  not  promise  to  try  any  more.  I  pleaded  and 
talked  with  him,  and  read  the  fifty-first  Psalm;  showed 
him  how  David  suffered  in  mind,  how  he  cried  unto  God 
to  renew  a  right  spirit  within  him,  and  not  to  take  the 
Holy  Spirit  from  him.  The  tears  came  stealing  down  his 
cheeks,  and  in  the  fulness  of  his  heart  he  said,  ''Oh,  ask 
this  for  me  !"  Again  we  knelt  and  asked  that  the  troubled 
heart  might  not  be  afraid,  but  believe  and  trust  in  the  blood 
of  the  everlasting  covenant.  Two  evenings  after  this  I 
saw  him  at  church ;  but,  if  the  face  be  an  index  of  the 
heart,  he  was  not  in  the  state  of  mind  I  had  hoped  to  find 
him  in.  He  was  surrounded  by  rough  boys,  and  they  all 
seemed  to  be  in  high  spirits,  which  were  not  entirely  con- 
trolled even  in  God's  house.  I  always  sat  among  the  boys 
in  the  lecture-room  at  the  weekly  services ;  they  were  such 
a  lawless  set,  it  was  necessary.  I  do  not  mean  all  were  so, 
only  this  especial  ''crowd,"  as  they  were  termed.     I  took 

F home  with  me  after  church,  and  talked  with  much 

earnestness  of  our  prayer  that  the  Spirit  would  not  be 
taken  from  him.     I  never  talked  in  a  scolding  way,  but  in 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  145 

a  grieved  and  earnest  spirit.  I  always  thought,  poor  fel- 
lows, they  get  knocks  enough  at  home,  I  will  deal  gently 
with  them ;  and  with  F it  was  the  only  way.  Passion- 
ate, self-willed,  and  having  had  taste  enough  of  sin  to 
relish  it,  it  would  have  done  him  only  harm  to  be  angry 
with  him,  and  have  driven  him  off  altogether;  for  what 
was  my  influence  of  a  few  months  against  a  whole  life 
of  ungodly  actions,  habits  of  evil  almost  confirmed  ?  As 
usual,  the  conversation  was  not  without  effect.  He  left 
me  grave  and  thoughtful:  said,  '•  The  devil  had  met  him 
everywhere  that   week."     I  said,    *' The  step    forward  is 

harder  than  the  one  backward  ;  but  pray,  F ;  strive,  and 

do  not  doubt." 

Sunday  found  him  carelessly  standing  at  the  church  gate, 
hat  pushed  back,  and  dressed  in  his  working-clothes,  except 
his  coat ;  noisy  and  loud  in  his  talk,  arm-in-arm  with  another 
rougher  than  himself.  However,  he  came  to  class,  and 
listened  with  his  usual  attentive  manner.  I  taught  from 
the  parable  of  the  barren  fig-tree.  The  lesson  was  pre- 
pared for  F ,  and,  although  he  listened,  it  was  not  to 

profit.  I  saw  this  with  sorrow ;  but  my  heart  was  made 
glad  to  hear  another  say,  ''That  lesson  was  sent  to  me;" 
and  that  day  he  resolved  no  longer  to  remain  a  cumberer 
of  the  ground,  and  the  resolve,  by  the  Spirit's  help,  has 
been  kept. 

I  did  not  say  anything  to  F for  a  few  days,  and 

then,  feeling  too  anxious  about  him  to  wait  longer,  I  went 
to  see  his  mother  at  an  hour  I  knew  I  would  find  him  at 
home.  I  took  the  little  book,  ''Come  to  Jesus,"  and 
asked  him  to  read  it.  He  put  it  in  his  side-pocket,  and 
said,  "  How  much  interest  you  take  in  me!  I  wish  I  could 
be  what  you  so  much  desire."  I  had  been  very  sad  about 
him,  had  prayed  hours  and  hours  for  him  since  Sunday, 
and  now  I  felt  too  full  to  speak,  because  of  his  gentle 
manner  of  receiving  the  book,  and  knowing  he  would  read 
«  13 


146  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

it  when  he  put  it  in  his  working-coat  pocket.  I  could  not 
control  my  pent-up  feelings,  but  cried  as  heartily  as  ever  I 
did  in  childhood.  Poor  boy  !  I  believe  he  thought  he 
had  broken  my  heart.  I  took  up  the  title  of  the  book, 
and  brought  every  text  to  mind  I  could,  to  show  the  ten- 
derness and  love  of  Jesus,  his  free,  loving,  full  invitation 
to  all  to  come  to  Him.  He  did  not  soon  forget  this  inter- 
view ;  three  days  after  he  called  to  see  me.  I  spent  some 
hours  with  him,  read  and  prayed  with  him,  heard  him 
renew  his  promises,  and  ask  tearfully  for  my  prayers  for 
him.  Such  hours  made  me  very  happy,  very  grateful ; 
drevz  my  own  soul  close  to  Jesus,  and  made  the  hours  of 
devotion  a  very  heaven  below.     But  still  the  conflict  had 

not  ceased;  the  soul  of  F was  not  yet  out  of  prison, 

so  that  he  could  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord.  Again  he 
was  bound  in  the  chains  of  open  sin.  It  was  mid-lent, 
and  the  day  was  appointed  for  the  Bishop's  visitation. 
Several  in  the  class  had  already  been  to  see  the  pastor,  and 
decided  to  give  their  hearts  to  God.     I  prayed  earnestly 

for  F ,  but  he  held  off,  and  seemed  harder  and  colder 

than  before.  He  would  have  ceased  coming  to  church 
altogether  if  I  had  not  gone  after  him,  pressed  him,  made 
him  promise  from  time  to  time,  someimtes  from  service  to 
service,  that  he  would  be  there.  I  told  him  something 
about  the  different  ministers  that  were  preaching  for  us 
during  the  season,  to  induce  him  to  come  and  hear  this 
one  or  another.  There  were  several  balls  given  in  the 
town,  at  low  taverns.     At  night-school,  a  short  time  before 

the  confirmation,  F said  to  me,  ''I  am  going  to  that 

ball  to-morrow  night."     I  said,  ''Oh,  do  not,  F ;  Dr. 

N ,  of  the  city,  preaches  that  night.     I  want  you  to 

hear  him."  He  lifted  his  hand  in  an  almost  passionate 
manner,  and  said,  ^^Lef  me  alone.  I  will  go.  I  have  made 
up  my  mind."  I  said  no  more,  but,  oh  !  how  earnestly  I 
prayed,  when  he  was  gone,  that  God  would  spare  him !     I 


THEIR   SAViyCS  AND   DOINGS.  147 

wrote  a  note  to  the  pastor  that  night,  though  quite  late, 
and  asked  him  to  help  me,  or  show  me  what  else,  what 
more  I  could  do  with  my  boy.  I  felt  as  though  I  could  be 
lost  myself,  if  only  this  boy  was  saved,  and  in  such  lan- 
guage penned  my  note,  for  which,  of  course,  I  was  re- 
proved.    The  next  morning  I  went  to  the  factory  where 

F worked,  and  again  asked  him  to  come  and  hear  this 

one  more  sermon.  He  almost  angrily  refused.  I  left  him, 
and  went  to  the  church  in  the  evening,  with  a  faint  hope 
that  I  should  see  him  there,  but  was  disappointed.  On  my 
return  home,  I  prayed  for  more  faith,  more  submission,  sat 
down  to  read,  and  tried  to  leave  all  in  God's  hands.  To 
my  surprise,  about  half-past  ten  o'clock  the  door-bell  rang, 

and  F came  in,  having  left  the  ball  in  an  agony  of 

spirit,  fearing  God's  just  anger  at  his  sinful  obstinacy.  I 
read  to  him  from  a  magazine  a  short  sketch  of  a  young  man 
like  himself,  suddenly  hurried  into  eternity  in  the  very  act 
of  defying  God  and  trampling  upon  the  blood  of  the  cov- 
enant. He  listened  until  I  had  finished.  I  was  about  to 
make  some  remarks,  when  he  said,  with  much  impatience, 
"Why  read  me  that?  I  fear  God,  I  appreciate  his  anger, 
but  that  does  not  soften  me.     I  could  never  do  right  from 

fear."     "Well,  F ,  I  have  said  so  much  to  you  of  the 

tender  love  of  Jesus,  I  thought  to-day  I  would  say  no  more, 
neither  mention  that  name  which  should  ere  now  be  dear  to 
you."  "Oh,  do  not  speak  in  that  way.  I  do  indeed 
want  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  but  am  so  sinful  I  cannot." 

This  interview  closed,  leaving  F about  as  he  was. 

Only  three  days  after  he  fell  into  a  more  gross  sin  than  ever, 
one  which  I  shrank  from  speaking  to  him  about,  and  yet, 

as  there  was  no  mistake  about  it,  I  felt  to  do  F good  I 

must  meet  him  at  every  point  the  devil  did.  I  spoke  to 
him  with  much  reserve  and  indignation.  He  kept  from  me 
for  a  week,  during  that  time  was  drinking,  and  would  not 
come  to  Bible-class.      But  upon  the  following  Sunday  I 


148  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

happened  to  come  upon  him  suddenly.  Calling  him  aside, 
I  told  him  I  wanted  to  see  him  in  the  afternoon  to  do  some- 
thing for  me.  This  was  only  a  bait  to  catch  hmi,  fearing 
to  leave  him  alone  longer,  lest  he  should  be  driven  too  far. 
There  was  a  sadness  about  him  which  gave  me  some  hope. 
I  prayed  with  him  that  day,  and  heard  from  his  own  lips  his 

sin   and   also  his  sincere  sorrow.      All   that  week  F 

prayed,  and  resolved  to  walk  carefully  in  the  narrow  way. 
But  Sunday,  after  class,  he  said  to  me,  "  I  give  up.  Put  me 
out  of  your  thoughts.  I  am  perfectly  indifferent.  I  do 
not  want  j-^//  to  be  troubled  ;  that  is  my  only  care  now,  for 
I  tell  you,  truly,  I  have  no  desire  to  serve  God."  And  his 
face  bore  evidence  of  his  indifference.  He  said,  "  Good- 
by,  I  shall  come  and  see  the  other  fellows  confirmed." 

Confirmation    passed    over.      F was   present.     On 

leaving  the  church,  he  said,  "I  wish  I  could  have  been 
among  them."  Seven  from  the  class  that  night,  never  to 
be  forgotten  by  me,  made  an  open  profession  of  faith.     I 

was  overfull  of  happiness,  even  though  F was  not  of 

the  number. 

The  next  Sunday  the  pastor  told  us  that  in  a  few  weeks 
the  Bishop  would  probably  again  visit  us  to  confirm.    Here 

was  another  opportunity  for  F ;  would  he  still  reject 

the  loving  invitation  ?  On  the  following  Sunday  I  taught 
from  the  words,  "The  Spirit  and  the  Bride  say.  Come  !" 

My  whole  soul  was  in  the  lesson.     F was  serious,  his 

countenance  earnest,  all  the  hard  look  gone.  I  kept  him 
after  the  class,  pleaded  and  talked  with  him  of  the  Saviour's 
love  and  his  long-suffering  towards  us ;  read,  and  gave  to 
him  to  put  in  his  pocket,  the  lines  "  I  have  a  friend,"  etc. 

Tempted,   falling,    and  fighting,  F continued  until  a 

week  before  the  second  Confirmation,  when  he  had  some 
trouble  with  the  manager  of  the  mill  where  he  worked,  and, 
losing  all  control  of  himself,  swore  most  fearfully,  and  left  the 
place  in  bitterness.     The  next  day  he  told  me  he  was  truly 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


149 


disheartened,  and  felt  entirely  indifferent  again  about  his 
soul.  He  said,  "  Good-by ;  now  I  shall  trouble  you  no 
more."  Knowing  his  desperate  disposition,  I  stepped  be- 
tween him  and  the  door,  saying,  "You  shall  not  go  in  this 
way.  Tell  me  more."  He  replied,  *'  I  shall  leave  the  place 
to  get  rid  of  this  anxiety  about  my  salvation."  I  said, 
"Where  will  you  go  to  get  rid  of  the  Spirit  of  the  living 

God  ?     You  may  get  rid  of  me,  dear  F ,  but  you  will 

feel  the  power  of  the  Almighty  on  land  or  sea."  He  said 
he  did  not  want  to  suffer  as  he  had,  he  felt  to-day  light- 
hearted,  and  if  it  were  not  for  my  sad  face  he  would  have 

no  concern.      "  See,  F ,  how  you  contradict  yourself," 

I  said  ;  "  you  are  concerned,  deeply  so  ;  you  want  to  crush 
out  the  Holy  Spirit ;  you  are  tempting  God  to  let  you 
alone."  With  a  promise  that  he  would  not  take  any  step 
without  at  least  seeing  me,  he  left.  He  had  walked  but  a 
short  distance,  when  he  saw  his  elder  brother  reel  from  a 
drinking-house.  He  hurried  home,  a  fierce  conflict  going 
on  in  his  inmost  soul,  went  to  his  room,  buried  his  head  in 
his  pillow,  and  while  penitential  tears  flowed  fast,  called 
upon  God  to  save  him  from  such  a  course,  to  help  him,  for 
now  he  would  hold  back  nothing.  He  came  to  church  in 
the  evening,  and  went  to  see  the  rector,  was  baptized  the 
following  week,  and  confirmed. 

He  became  a  loving  follower  of  the  blessed  Jesus;  all  his 
friends  marked  the  wonderful  change  in  looks,  in  conduct, 
and  life.  He  had  many  struggles  with  the  flesh  and  the 
devil,  and  was  sometimes  overcome,  but,  through  all,  clung 
to  the  promises,  and  never  ceased  to  pray.  He  is  no  longer 
with  us,  but  is  now  living  in  one  of  the  Western  cities, 
where  he  has  a  good  position  in  a  commercial  house ; 
having  won  the  confidence  of  his  employers,  he  is  re- 
ceiving quite  a  good  salary.  He  has  taught,  at  different 
periods,  in   the   Sunday-school  there,  and  has  also  been  a 

13* 


I50  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

member  of  a  Bible-class.  I  write  to  him  frequently,  and 
always  receive  a  prompt  reply;  his  letters  express  the 
deepest  gratitude  for  the  past  and  present.     I  would  here 

state  that  F ,  having  been  placed  at  work  at  ten  years 

of  age,  had  had  but  few  opportunities  for  education,  and 
when  I  first  knew  him  he  could  scarcely  write  at  all,  though 
he  read  pretty  well.  After  he  became  an  open  professor 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  seemed  ambitious  to  improve  in  every 
way,  and  studied  diligently.  During  one  summer,  when 
all  the  other  young  men  would  be  seeking  some  cool  place 

to  spend  the   evening,  F was  at   home,   in  his  little, 

close  room,  a  lamp  by  his  side,  his  books  spread  out,  trying 
to  master  mensuration  and  other  difficult  studies.  He 
practiced  writing,  and  qualified  himself  to  take  charge  of 
a  set  of  books,  a  young  friend  of  mine  kindly  giving  him 
instruction  three  evenings  in  the  week.  Through  an  ac- 
quaintance he  obtained  the  situation  he  now  holds. 

Many  times  his  mind  and  heart  have  been  drawn  to  study 
for  the  ministry.  His  leisure  hours  are  now  spent  in  read- 
ing sacred  history,  and  in  improving  himself  in  every  way. 
I  have  not  seen  him  for  eighteen  months.  I  know  he  is 
God's  child  ;  that  his  course  is  onward  and  upward,  and 
therefore  all  must  be  well  with  him.  I  have  had  an  im- 
perfect description  of  his  room  at  his  boarding-house.  I 
contrast  it  with  his  former  surroundings.  I  remember 
once  going  to  see  him  when  ill,  three  years  and  a  half  ago. 
In  THAT  bedroom  I  found  no  Bible,  no  Prayer-Book,  no 
thoughts  of  Jesus,  no  voice  of  prayer,  but  on  the  otherwise 
empty  table  lay  a  pack  of  cards.  The  walls  that  now  sur- 
round that  boy  give  a  far  different  picture  both  of  heart 
and  life.  There,  too,  is  a  little  table,  over  which  hangs 
an  "  Ecce  Homo,"  and  upon  which  lie  a  Bible,  a  prayer- 
book,  Thomas  a'Kempis's  Imitation  of  Christ,  "■  Come  to 
Jesus,"  ''The  Earnest  Communicant,"  "The  Cross- 
Bearer,"  ''The  Life  of  Henry  Martyn,"  and  other  works 


THEIR   SAYINGS  A  AW   DOINGS.  151 

of  similar  character.     May  I  not  thank    God,   and   take 
courage  in  my  work  ? 

Another  instance  I  will  give  you  to  show  what  is  accom- 
plished by  never  losing  sight  of  a  case.     A  young  man  I 
had  heard  of,  I  called  to  see  at  the  factory  where  he  worked. 
My   interest   in  this  one  was  quickened   because  he  was 
motherless,  and  his  father  a  drunkard.     Eighteen  years  of 
age,  and  none  to  look  after  him.     I  asked  him  if  he  went 
anywhere  to   church.     He  said  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  telling  me  a  falsehood ;  I  thought  it 
was  the  truth,  and  replied,  "  Oh,  very  well,  I  never  try  to 
draw  any  away  from  other  denominations."     I  afterwards 
learned  that  the  lie  was  told  to  get  rid  of  me,  therefore  I 
determined  not  to  be  put  off  in  this  way.      I  went  again  to 
see  him,  and  said,   "  I  hear  you  have  left  the  other  church 
or  class,  and  have  come  again  to  ask  you  to  join  my  Bible- 
class."     I  thought  it  discreet  not  to  let  him  know  I  was 
aware  of  his  false  excuse,  as  I  was  unacquainted  with  his 
disposition.     On  this  occasion  he  made  the  excuse  that  his 
winter  clothes  were  too  shabby ;  he  expected  to  get  some, 
and  theti  he  would  come.     Three  months  passed  away.     I 
met  him  occasionally  in  the  street ;  always  spoke  kindly  to 
him ;  gave  him  something  to  read,  and  invited  him  again 
to  the  class.     I  do  not  know  why  this  lad  interested  me  so 
much,  for  others  thought  him  terribly  rough  and  uncouth 
in  his  ways.     I  went  once  more  to  see  him,  and,  it  being 
noon-time,  had  an  hour's  conversation  with  him.     Then  he 
told  me  he  had  been  baptized  in  the  Episcopal  Church  in 
France,  where  he  was  born.     His  mother  being  of  French 
extraction,  they  had  gone  there  for  employment,  and  stayed 
some  time,  and  then  came  to  America,  where  he  lost  his 
mother.     Asking  him  some  questions  about  her,  very  soon 
I  saw  there  was  in  his  heart  a  tender  spot ;  but  I  could  not 
get  him  to  promise  me  to  come  to  class,— he  always  had 
some  reason    for  not  coming.     When  I  had  known  him 


152  WOMEN  HELPERS  IM  THE    CHURCH, 

about  six  months,  he  was  seized  with  typhoid  fever,  and 
was  ill  three  weeks.  I  called  frequently  to  see  him,  taking 
with  me  fruits  and  other  comforts.  At  first  he  did  not 
seem  to  like  it,  and  I  was  careful  not  to  press  myself  upon 
him.  It  was  not  a  violent  case,  though  it  reduced  him  very 
much.  After  a  little  while  he  looked  less  sullen  when  I 
called,  and  smiled  me  welcome.  I  amused  him,  and  re- 
lieved the  time  by  talking  to  him  and  reading  interesting 
narratives,  not  religious.     When  he  was  able  to  sit  up,  I 

said    one    day,   "A ,   you  told  me  once  you  thought 

your  mother  regretted  on  her  death-bed  not  having  learned 
young  to  love  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ?"  ''  Yes,  she  did ; 
she  prayed  very  hard  for  God's  mercy  before  she  died." 

"  Suppose  she  were  here  to-day,  A ,  what  do  you  think 

she  would  want  her  boy  to  do?"  "  Be  a  Christian,"  he 
replied.  "Well,  my  child,  I  speak  for  your  mother;  I 
love  you  because  you  have  no  mother ;  I  know  from  expe- 
rience what  it  is  to  have  a  home  broken  up  in  early  child- 
hood."    He  said,   ''It  is  hard.     God  knows,  Mrs. , 

many's  the  night  I  have  laid  awake  wishing  for  her  again; 
but  I  am  getting  used  to  it  now — getting  hardened  like." 
In  my  heart  I  thanked  God  I  had  found  him  before  he 
had  got  enth'ely  hardened, — before  the  tender  memories 
of  his  mother  were  quite  crushed  out  or  buried.  I  said, 
''A ,  would  you  like  to  be  what  your  mother  would  de- 
sire? Do  you  know  there  is  a  plain,  clear  way  already 
marked  out  for  you,  and  that  in  that  way  you  shall  have  a 
never-failing  guide  ?  The  Son  of  God  is  the  way ;  the  same 
Saviour  to  whom  your  mother  prayed,  and  to  whose  keep- 
ing she  doubtless  committed  you.  And  now  He  sends  me 
to  tell  you  that  He  wants  you  to  come  to  him,  and  He  will 
lead  you,  and  never  leave  you  until  you  are  prepared  to 
meet  your  mother.  Shall  I  pray  for  the  presence  of  this 
Friend  and  Saviour,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  to  teach  you  all 
you  ought  to  be?"     He  was  too  full  to  speak.     We  knelt 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


153 


together;  the  tenderness  of  childhood  was  still  with  him: 
at  the  mention  of  his  mother's  name  in  prayer  I  heard  his 
frequent  sobs. 

The  following  week  he  was  out,  and  I  met  him  in  the 
street.  He  came  up  to  me  with  an  open  beaming  face,  and 
said,  "I  will  tell  you  why  I  do  not  come  to  class.  I  am 
ashamed  to  say  it,  but  I  cannot  read  ;  I  was  put  to  work 
when  mother  died."  "That  should  not  keep  you  away  ;  no 
one  shall  know  it."  From  that  day  I  dispensed  with  the 
reading  in  the  Bible-class,  except  to  call  upon  any  one  I 
chose  to  find  references,  etc.  I  gave  him  private  lessons 
every  Saturday  evening  in  reading.  After  he  had  become 
attached  to  me,  and  the  feeling  of  shame  overcome,  I  per- 
suaded him  to  come  to  night-school.  He  was  very  brave 
after  he  had  put  away  his  scruples ;  many  times  the  other 
boys  would  laugh  at  his  mistakes,  but  he  took  it  in  good 
part,  saying,  "Laugh  or  not,  I  am  bound  to  learn."  His 
progress  was  slow,  and,  having  joined  the  army,  a  break  oc- 
curred. But  in  the  knowledge  most  important  for  him  he 
was  not  slow.  The  same  warm  affection  he  had  exhibited 
for  his  mother  was,  by  the  Holy  Spirit'shelp,  now  manifested 
towards  his  Saviour.  The  expression  of  that  boy's  face, 
when  in  church  and  much  interested,  is  of  the  tenderest  and 
most  child-like  type.  Life  in  the  army  was  a  severe  test 
for  newly  awakened  feelings  for  holy  things  ;  his  principles 
were  somewhat  shaken  by  it,  yet  after  his  return  home  he 
regained  his  Christian  standing  and  was  confirmed.  His 
surroundings  are  of  the  worst  kind,  in  a  house  with  two 
drunkards,  both  relatives.  I  have  spent  hours,  time  and 
time  again,  building  him  up  in  faith,  and  encouraging  him 
not  to  give  up  because  of  his  home  difficulties.  I  can 
always  read  in  his  face  when  he  has  had  a  hard  struggle  with 
the  flesh  and  the  devil.  Sometimes  I  have  only  time  and 
opportunity  to  say  a  few  words,  repeat  some  text,  or  make 
some   kind    personal    remark    to   assure   him   he    has   his 


154  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

teacher's  interest  and  sympathy.  Sometimes,  too,  I  read 
and  pray  with  him,  and  gently  reprove  when  he  has  given 
way  to  passion  toward  his  intemperate  father.     A  boy  once 

told  me  that,  if  they  were  walking  with  A after  class, 

and  chanced  to  meet  his  father  in  an  intemperate  condition, 
they  could  not  get  him  to  speak  another  cheerful  word  the 
rest  of  the  day.  From  this  boy  I  have  had  the  warmest 
expressions  of  gratitude  when,  after  our  interviews,  he  has 
taken  heart  again  and  looked  up  with  a  renewed  faith  and 
hope  to  Calvary's  blood-stained  hill.  If,  in  the  deep  shades 
of  Gethsemane,  the  Divine  Teacher  felt  such  need  of  human 
sympathy  that  he  was  constrained  to  say,  '*What!  could 
ye  not  watch  with  me  one  hour?"  how  much  must  such 
poor  weak  followers  depend  upon  it !  And  how  little  do 
these  poor  followers  get !  Hard  words  and  still  harder 
blows  are  what  they  daily  meet ;  and  is  it  strange,  then, 
that  loving-kindness  should  reach  and  draw  them  to  that 
which  their  neglected  hearts  need  ? 

One  young  man,  previous  to  joining  the  Bible-class,  had 
for  three  years,  at  every  return  of  the  confirmation  season, 
received  a  letter  from  the  rector,  the  last  of  which  he  had 
burned  without  opening.  I  asked  why  he  had  burned  it.  He 
replied,  "Well,  only  because  it  disturbed  me,  and  I  just 
thought  it  was  the  easiest  way  to  get  rid  of  it."  ''Then 
why  did  you  not  burn  that  of  this  year?"  ''  I  could  not, 
because  your  note  accompanied  it,  and  you  had  spoken  so 
earnestly  to  us.  When  you  put  that  letter  in  my  hand,  and 
told  me  that  it  was  the  voice  of  my  Heavenly  Father,  I  felt 
much  troubled  ;  but  in  a  few  days  I  would  have  forgotten 
again,  had  you  not  asked  me  for  an  answer,  and  that  made 
me  think  again.  Then  your  lesson  about  King  Agrippa 
followed,  so  you  see  I  could  not  get  rid  of  it ;  and  I  am  here 
to  tell  you  I  want  you  to  pray  with  me."  We  prayed  and 
gave  thanks  to  the  Lord  who  had  led  this  child  at  last  to 
hearken  to  the  words,   "This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  155 

This  young  man  fears  that  had  he  not  then  been  com- 
pelled to  give  the  subject  thought,  and  afterwards  been 
watched  over,  he  would  ere  now  have  been  traveling  the 
drunkard's  sorrowful  path.  ''  Those  that  be  planted  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord  shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  our  God." 
Another  case  I  will  give,  which  further  illustrates  the 

fact  that  following  up  is  essential."  M had  joined  the 

class  six  weeks  after  it  was  organized ;  he  is  the  son  of 
Christian  parents,  an  exceedingly  gentlemanly  fellow,  the 
kindest  of  brothers,  and  a  most  affectionate  son.  He  had 
no  bad  habits.  I  wrote  him  a  short  note,  referring  to  the 
rector's  letter,  and  urging  him  to  do  the  one  thing  need- 
ful he  had  left  undone,  honor  his  Saviour  by  making  an 
open  profession  of  Him  before  men.  His  reply  was  in  these 
words  :  "  Many  thanks,  my  kind  teacher,  for  your  prayers 
and  interest,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  what  I  know  will  grieve 
you  ;  that  is,  that  I  have  not  the  slightest  desire  to  connect 
myself  with  the  Church.  I  am  too  light-hearted  and  happy 
every  day,  and  never  think  about  religion  for  myself.  I 
always  pray  because  I  have  been  taught  to  do  so,  and  go 
to  church  because  all  the  family  go ;  that  is  a  house  rule." 
I  felt  when  I  got  this  answer  that  this  kind  of  heart  was 
often  much  more  difficult  to  reach  than  that  of  one  who 
lived  a  less  moral  life.  However,  I  wrote  again  before 
Sunday,  asking  him  to  ponder  those  words  of  Jesus,  "  He 
that  is  not  for  me  is  against  me;"  and  to  go  in  prayer  and 
ask  God  whether  he  were  for  or  against  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Christ  Jesus.  On  Sunday  I  taught  from  the  words,  ''He 
that  confesseth  me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  confess,"  etc. 

After  the  lesson  I  kept  M and  prayed  with  him.     He 

was  calm,  and  only  expressed  his  gratitude  for  my  desire 
for  his  good,  with  this  word  when  leaving  :  "If  the  mem- 
bers of  your  class  do  not  all  do  what  is  well  for  us  here  and 
hereafter,  it  will  not  be  because  you  have  left  anything 
undone."     Three  days  after,  he  came  out  on  the  side  of 


156  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

Christ,  and  he  is  one  who  now  adorns  the  doctrine  of  the 
Cross. 


WOMAN'S   HIGHEST   MISSION. 

The  Jewish  Church,  by  reason  of  the  hardness  of  man's 
■heart,  failed  to  make  woman  a  spiritual  *' helpmeet;"  yet, 
even  then,  the  Holy  Ghost  gave  premonitions  of  woman's 
true  mission,  by  occasionally  commissioning  her  to  teach 
man  the  way  of  righteousness.  When  the  infant  Saviour 
was  first  presented  to  a  woman,  it  was  in  the  temple  at  Jeru- 
salem ;  and  the  angels  must  have  watched  the  effect  of  that 
interview  with  intense  interest,  for  they  doubtless  knew 
that  through  Anna  the  Prophetess,  as  a  typical  or  repre- 
sentative woman,  God  would  reveal  to  her  sex  their  true 
mission  in  the  Christian  Church.  Anna,  though  eighty- 
four  years  old,  did  not  try  to  excuse  herself  because  of  her 
great  age  or  the  degradation  of  her  sex  :  no,  "■  she  spake  of 
Him  to  all  them  that  looked  for  redemption  in  Jerusalem," 
and,  although  dead,  she  still  speaks  to  her  sisters  in  Christ, 
assuring  them  that  telling  of  Him  and  his  salvation  is 
woman's  highest  mission.  Our  Lord  and  his  Apostles 
uprooted  from  the  Christian  Church  the  oriental  prejudices 
against  woman,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  continues  to  witness 
for  her  high  calling  as  a  teacher,  not  only  in  parishes  where 
she  is  guided  and  sustained  by  the  ministry,  but  even  in 
military  hospitals,  where,  in  some  cases,  adverse  sectarian 
influences  and  military  restraints  have  tried  her  work  as 
by  fire. 

The  following  record  shows  how  inexperienced  women, 
who  began,  trembling,  to  teach,  were  encouraged  by  the 
witness  of  the  Spirit  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  the  sensual 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  157 

and  profane^  as  well  as  of  moral  men.  These  zealous 
teachers  at  first  erred  in  presenting  the  claims  of  God  too 
abruptly,  or  in  the  presence  of  others ;  but  afterwards  they 
watched  for  a  casual  interview  when  these  men  were  alone, 
and  then  the  preparation  was  made  for  a  more  gradual  ap- 
proach by  engaging  each  one  in  conversation  on  some  sub- 
ject in  which  he  was  specially  interested.  Woman's  quick 
wit  and  ready  sympathy  soon  revealed  the  best  mode 
of  grappling  advantageously  with  the  indifferent,  the  pro- 
fane, and  the  dissolute,  drawing  them  into  a  Bible-class, 
either  by  direct  persuasion  or  through  some  trained  com- 
panion. Instruction  of  a  general  character,  and  even  ser- 
mons, seldom  or  never  produced  any  radical  change  in  these 
men,  for  slight  impressions  were  soon  effaced  by  the  sneers 
and  ribald  jests  of  those  with  whom  the  seriously-minded 
were  obliged  to  associate.  To  induce  men  with  such  evil 
surroundings  to  learn  to  love  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  it 
was  found  that  ''  precept  must  be  upon  precept,  precept 
upon  precept,  line  upon  line,  line  upon  line,  here  a  little 
and  there  a  little,"  and  also  prayer  upon  prayer,  for 
and  with  the  individual,  until  the  knee  was  bent  by  the 
bedside,  and  Christ  openly  confessed  in  baptism  or  con- 
firmation. 

In  these  military  hospitals  the  men  had  no  privacy  for 
Bible-reading  or  prayer,  and  the  struggle  between  the  con- 
tending powers  of  good  and  evil  was  often  long  continued 
and  fearful,  before  the  conscious  sinner  could  kneel  in  the 
ward  where  his  profanity  and  irreligion  had  been  mani- 
fested. These  mmistering  women,  like  guardian  angels, 
persevered  through  days,  or  weeks,  or  months,  "  comforting 
the  feeble-minded  and  supporting  the  weak,"  until  God 
imparted  spiritual  strength  to  enable  timid  babes  in  Christ 
to  quit  themselves  like  men.  None  but  those  who  have 
passed  through  this  fiery  ordeal  know  how  hard  it  is  to 
break  away  from  jovial  and    dissolute   companions,  espe- 

14 


158  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

cially  where  such  are  of  necessity  present  at  meals,  at  pas- 
time, and  through  the  night-season. 

The  eminent  success  of  two  inexperienced  but  zealous 
Churchwomen  imperfectly  illustrated  in  the  following 
sketches  should  encourage  others  to  work  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard,  especially  now,  for  the  Church  is  more  urgently 
than  ever  before  pleading  with  her  daughters  to  fulfil  their 
highest  mission.  W. 

One  writes  thus : 

I  began  this  work  with  many  misgivings,  with  an  over- 
whelming sense  of  my  own  insufficiency  for  these  things, 
and  with  little  or  no  idea  what  the  work  was,  or  how  I 
should  begin  it.  I  felt  that  there  was  much  to  be  done, 
and  I  could  not  bear  to  be  idle  when  such  a  field  seemed 
open  at  our  very  doors,  and  even  the  little  I  could  do 
might  be  of  some  use. 

The  thought  of  being  the  instrument,  in  God's  hands, 
of  awakening  and  leading  one  soul  to  the  Saviour,  was 
beyond  my  hopes.  I  only  trusted  that  I  might  be  the 
means  of  comforting  or  cheering  some  suffering  believer  by 
reading  to  him  the  Word  of  Life.  I  had  had  no  experi- 
ence in  such  work,  having  scarcely  ever  spoken  to  any  one 
on  the  subject  of  personal  religion ;  but  I  soon  found  that 
something  was  needed  besides  the  general  instruction  given 
in  the  Bible-classes,  and  I  began  to  speak  in  private  to  the 
members  of  the  class,  as  I  had  opportunity,  of  their  obliga- 
tions to  obey  the  call  given  to  them  in  God's  word.  I 
found  them  most  respectful  and  attentive  listeners  as  I 
spoke  to  them  of  Christ's  love,  of  the  duty  and  privilege 
of  prayer,  and  of  the  happiness  of  leading  a  Christian  life, 
and  I  rejoice  to  believe  that  many  have  been  benefited  by 
such  conversations  and  induced  to  come  for  themselves  to 
the  Saviour,  and  to  "  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  gra- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  159 

In  visiting  the  wards  we  have  many  opportunities  of 
speaking  to  those  who  are  not  able,  and  to  many  who  are 
not  willing,  to  attend  the  Bible-classes.  For  example,  one 
of  the  wounded  men  interested  me  very  much  from  the 
first.  He  was  bright  and  cheerful,  very  amiable  and  intel- 
ligent, and  very  grateful  for  such  little  kindnesses  as  I  was 
able  to  show  him.  I  visited  him  every  day,  and  lost  no 
opportunity  of  speaking  to  him  of  his  immortal  soul  and  of 
his  Saviour.  He  always  listened,  but  did  not  appear  much 
interested  in  such  conversation,  and  it  seemed  to  be  a  relief 
to  him  to  escape  the  subject  of  religion.  I  persevered, 
however,  and  gradually  I  could  see  that  his  mind  began  to 
dwell  more  on  eternal  things.  I  found  him  often  reading 
the  Testament,  and  he  was  evidently  beginning  to  feel  that 
he  ought  to  obey  the  Gospel  as  well  as  read  it,  but  he  would 
not  pray,  and  said  he  felt  no  desire  to  be  a  Christian^ 
although  he  knew  he  ought  to  be.  On  my  return  to  the 
hospital,  after  a  short  absence,  I  found  he  had  begun  to 
pray;  and,  although  at  first  it  seemed  almost  a  matter  of 
form,  he  persevered,  and  soon  he  told  me  he  felt  his  prayer 
was  answered  in  some  measure,  for  the  desire  for  his  soul's 
salvation,  which  he  prayed  that  he  might  have,  was  given  to 
him ;  and  although  everything  spiritual  seemed  very  dark 
and  misty  to  him,  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  life,  which 
strengthened  every  day.  He  began  to  grieve  over  his 
coldness  and  want  of  feeling,  and  mourn  over  the  darkness 
of  his  mind  and  the  dullness  of  his  spiritual  perceptions. 
He  could  not  see  how  a  man's  heart  could  be  changed  by 
the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  be  made  a  "new 
creature  in  Christ  Jesus."  He  was  told  to  look  to  Christ 
and  pray  for  faith ;  and  it  was  given  him,  and  the  light 
which  he  had  prayed  for  showed  him  the  darkness  he  had 
lived  in  all  his  life.  Before  he  began  to  pray,  he  acknowl- 
edged that  he  was  a  sinner,  but  his  sins  gave  him  no  real 
concern.     Now  the  remembrance  of  his  former  life  of  care- 


l6o  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

lessness,  ingratitude,  and  forgetfulness  of  God  filled  him 
with  distress  and  would  not  suffer  him  to  sleep.  He  prayed 
earnestly  for  forgiveness,  and  his  prayer  was  answered,  and 
he  realized  that  Christ  had  died  for  him  and  that  he  was 
pardoned  through  His  all-sufficient  sacrifice.  He  told  me 
that  then  all  was  light ;  that  there  was  no  more  darkness. 
He  saw  and  felt  his  Saviour's  love,  and  could  only  wonder 
and  adore.  Through  all  this  time  we  had  many  conversa- 
tions and  much  prayer  together.  Believing,  he  was  bap- 
tized, and,  as  he  afterwards  told  me,  he  never  could  have 
believed  that  he,  who  knew  Jiimself  to  be  so  unworthy, 
could  have  been  so  filled  with  joy  and  peace,  and  so  have 
felt  the  presence  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  at  that  sacra- 
ment. The  tears  of  joy  filling  his  eyes  told  more  than 
words  could  have  done  of  his  love  and  trust  in  his  Saviour, 
and  of  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 

He  was  confirmed  a  few  weeks  after  baptism,  and  de- 
scribed his  first  communion  as  "the  most  solemn  time  he 
had  ever  known,  and  full  of  comfort  and  peace."  He 
presses  on,  rejoicing  more  and  more  in  his  new  hope ;  and, 
although  often  cast  down  and  depressed  on  account  of  in- 
dwelling sin,  says  that  the  last  few  months  of  his  life  have 
been  full  of  the  most  intense  happiness.  He  attends  the 
Bible-classes  regularly,  and  finds  the  greatest  enjoyment  in 
them. 

This  is  one  among  many  instances  in  which  God  has 
blessed  the  work  in  my  hands.  I  feel  truly  thankful  that, 
with  all  my  weakness  and  inexperience.  He  has  made  me 
the  means  of  good  to  some  souls  who  were,  like  this  young 
man,  living  in  carelessness  and  sin,  without  hope  and  with- 
out God  in  the  world. 

Another  says : 

I  entered  on  this  field  of  labor  with  a  deep  sense  of  my 
own  weakness  and  unfitness  for  the  great  work  before  me. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  i6i 

and  with  a  vague,  undefined  idea  of  what  the  nature  of 
that  work  should  be.  Where  should  I  begin,  and  what 
should  I  say  ?  However,  I  remembered  that  it  was  told  to 
Paul,  "  Go  unto  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou 
must  do;"  and  so  I  resolved  to  make  an  effort,  believing 
that  the  way  would  be  made  plain  to  me. 

Eighteen  months'  experience  in  the  wards  of  our  hos- 
pital has  taught  me  this  lesson,  namely,  that  for  all  who 
desire  to  labor  for  Christ  there  is  work  in  the  great  harvest- 
field  of  souls ;  that  every  one  possessed  of  average  mind 
and  abilities  can  add  his  or  her  mite  to  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord,  can  have  the  honor  of  forwarding,  in  some  degree, 
the  great  work  of  the  Church. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  call  to-day  is  so  much  for  those 
who  are  highly  gifted  of  God,  but  rather  for  the  many  who 
are  "standing  idle  all  the  day"  because  they  cannot  see  what 
work  is  appointed  them  to  do ;  or  for  those,  on  the  other 
hand,  who  are  holding  back,  doubting  their  ability  to  per- 
form the  same. 

It  is  not  in  my  power  to  add  one  iota  to  the  fund  of 
information  already  collected  as  to  the  practicability  of 
the  work  before  us,  nor  to  give  one  original  idea  as  to  the 
best  mode  of  carrying  it  on ;  but  I  can  add  my  feeble  tes- 
timony to  the  goodness  of  God  in  employing  the  humblest 
means  to  fulfil  his  designs.  The  cup  of  cold  water,  in 
Jesus'  name,  may  be  given  by  any  one  who  has  the  willing 
heart  and  ready  hand,  and  the  way  that  leads  to  salvation 
may  be  pointed  out  to  the  wanderer  by  all  who  have  found 
it  the  way  of  life  unto  their  own  souls. 

I  believe  that  women  are  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  work 
in  our  hospitals.  The  words  of  sympathy,  the  thousand 
little  acts  of  kindness  which  they  can  perform,  all  open  a 
way  of  access  to  man's  heart,  and  he  will  generally  receive 
from  her,  who  has  been  to  him  as  mother  or  sister,  the  words 
of  warning,  entreaty,  or  consolation.    The  little  Testament, 


1 62     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

worn  by  the  service  of  months  or  years,  is  a  happy  intro- 
duction to  the  subject  of  personal  religion.  I  take  it  from 
the  table  by  the  sick  man's  bedside.  Was  it  the  gift  of 
your  mother  ?  Has  it  been  a  consolation  to  you  ?  Has  it 
been  the  means  of  bringing  you  to  your  Saviour?  The 
answer,  in  too  many  cases,  is,  "Not  yet  !"  I  tell  him  that 
I  think  I  can  show  him  why  it  has  failed  to  do  so.  This 
opens  to  us  the  subject  oi prayer,  and  this  I  have  found  the 
chief  difficulty  in  most  of  the  cases  with  which  I  have  been 
brought  in  contact.  How  can  I  induce  him  to  pray?  I 
draw  from  him  some  outline  of  his  history,  and,  having 
established  a  feeling  of  friendly  interest  between  us,  give 
him  a  tract  or  religious  work,  marking  out  some  chapter  or 
passage  in  his  Testament  as  peculiarly  applicable  to  such  a 
case  as  his.  And  here  it  is  that  the  Bible-class  proves  so 
invaluable.  Many  will  listen  to  the  Word  of  God  who  will 
not  search  for  themselves;  and  so,  step  by  step,  many  will 
allow  me  to  offer  a  prayer  by  their  bedsides,  or  apart  by 
ourselves,  who  have  not,  as  yet,  the  confidence  to  express 
their  own  wants  to  God. 

I  have  often  asked  the  men,  when  once  they  had  begun 
to  pray,  to  write  a  prayer  for  me,  and  have  found  it  to  be 
a  great  help  in  understanding  their  tone  of  mind.  I  would 
also  say  a  word  of  the  efficacy  of  wj-iting  to  the  men  at 
certain  times.  When  they  are  hesitating,  doubtful  which 
way  to  go,  a  few  words  of  encouragement  and  entreaty,  in 
the  form  of  a  letter,  have,  in  many  instances,  proved  more 
valuable  than  hours  of  conversation,  aiding  them  to  fix 
the  mind  and  decide  the  great  question. 

When  one  has  been  led  to  feel  any  degree  of  real  interest 
in  religion,  I  always  try  to  enlist  his  sympathy  and  co- 
operation in  our  work,  by  inviting  others  to  the  class, 
inducing  his  young  friends  to  forsake,  with  him,  this  or 
that  evil  habit,  reading  each  other's  books,  exercising  a 
sort  of  guardianship  over  each  other,  mutually  reminding 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  163 

and  encouraging  one  another.  It  is  so  much  easier  and 
pleasanter  to  have  companionship  and  sympathy  in  all 
things.  At  first  I  did  not  ask  the  help  of  the  men  till  they 
had  made,  or  were  about  to  make,  their  open  confession  of 
Christ,  but  in  this  I  erred  ;  for  experience  has  taught  me 
that  to  grow  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Christ,  we  must  do 
soinething  for  his  cause.  One  said  tome,  "Since  I  have 
interested  myself  for  others,  I  find  that  religion  seems  so 
much  more  real  and  pleasant  to  myself."  Another,  '*  Why, 
you  will  make  me  do  the  work  of  a  Christian  before  I  am 
one  in  heart  and  life."  I  ask  them  to  remember  certain  of 
their  comrades  in  prayer, — to  offer  special  petitions  for 
them ;  and  I  believe  that  this  has  been  blessed,  not  only  to 
the  one  whose  name  was  brought  before  God,  but  also  to 
the  young  beginner  who  had  just  learned  to  cry,  *'God, 
be  merciful  to  me,  a  sinner."  I  cannot  tell  you  what  en- 
couragement and  help  I  have  derived  from  this  assistance. 
In  the  variety  of  disposition  with  which  we  come  in 
contact,  I  could  not  lay  down  any  specific  plan,  any  general 
rule ;  my  sole  object  being  to  bring  each  man  to  consider 
the  subject  of  personal  religion.  I  have  tried,  after  gain- 
ing his  good  will,  to  direct  his  thoughts  to  something 
higher  than  that  with  which  they  were  already  occupied. 
If  I  ask  him  to  lay  aside  the  immoral  novel,  I  put  in  his 
"hands  not  only  the  best  of  books,  but  also  one  of  religious 
tendency  and  of  interest  in  itself.  If  I  ask  him  to  leave 
off  the  card-playing  that  led  to  so  much  profanity  and 
sin,  I  try  to  supply  its  place  with  something  pleasant  and 
profitable,  or  innocent.  Sometimes  I  think  we  forget  how 
long  and  weary  the  hours  in  a  hospital  must  be  to  a  soldier 
just  well  enough  to  demand  occupation  for  his  time  and 
thoughts.  I  strive  to  make  them  realize  the  love  and  sym- 
pathy of  Jesus  Christ  towards  them  individually,  his  near- 
ness, his  understanding  of  all  their  peculiar  difficulties  and 
temptations.     "I  never  would  have  believed  it  possible," 


1 64  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

said  one  to  me,  ^'that  I  could  have  found  religion  in  an 
army  hospital;  but  I  am  beginning  to  learn  that  Jesus  can 
be  found  wherever  we  will  set  our  minds  and  hearts  to 
seek  Him."  I  will  only  add,  for  the  encouragement  of 
others,  that  the  good  seed  sown  will  surely  bear  fruit,  if  not 
now,  hereafter.  Another  writes  to  me,  "  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  day  when  you  first  came  to  my  bedside  and  spoke 
to  me  of  Jesus;  when  you  asked  me,  did  I  pray?  What 
you  said  I  had  heard  before,  but  it  sounded  so  differently 
when  spoken  to  me  there  than  when  preached  to  me."  A 
third  writes  from  the  army,  '*  I  am  trying  hard  to  do  my 
duty  as  a  Christian  soldier,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much 
I  miss  the  Bible-class,  or  how  I  long  to  have  some  one  sit 
down  and  talk  to  me  just  as  you  used  to  do.  How  many 
of  my  company  would  be  turned  from  wickedness  if  some 
Christian  friend  would  only  speak  a  few  kind  words  to  them !" 
This  imperfect  sketch  will,  at  least,  bear  testimony  to 
one  fact,  that  God  works  by  the  humblest  means  and  will 
abundantly  bless  these  efforts  to  the  salvation  of  souls. 
There  has  been  nothing  in  any  way  remarkable  in  the 
means  or  mode  adopted,  only  such  as  lie  open  to  any 
earnest  Christian  woman.  All  are  capable  of  employing 
them  for  the  same  end.  God  has  surely  blessed  our  efforts 
above  my  highest  expectations;  and  if  this  be  the  means  of 
encouraging  some  other  weak  fellow- Christian  to  go  forth 
in  the  strength  of  our  dear  Saviour,  whose  "grace  is  suffi- 
cient" for  us,  I  shall  be  more  than  satisfied. 

The  following  narrative  will  serve  to  illustrate  our  mode 
of  dealing  with  men  who  at  first  manifest  great  reluctance 
to  be  approached  on  the  subject  of  religion  : 

When  I  first  saw  Sergeant  W.,  he  was  very  ill,  suffer- 
ing from  a  severe  wound.  I  visited  him  daily,  and  it 
touched  my  heart  to  see  his  patient,  cheerful  endurance  of 
pain ;    there  was  always  something  bright   even  when   he 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


165 


was  suffering  most ;  he  was  always  so  grateful  for  any  little 
kindness  shown  him,  and  ready  to  share  every  delicacy 
with  his  sick  comrades.  "  You  know  that  we  are  all  soldiers 
together,"  was  his  unanswerable  argument.  But  when  I 
first  introduced  the  subject  of  personal  religion,  his  whole 
countenance  changed,  and  its  expression  of  stolid  indiffer- 
ence showed  me  plainly  that  as  yet  these  things  were 
''foolishness"  to  him. 

Let  him  tell  his  own  story, — he  writes  :  "  It  is  just  a  year 
ago  to-day  since  I  arrived  at  the  hospital.  I  was  so  sick 
that  I  do  not  remember  much  about  your  first  visits.  But 
I  do  recollect  the  day  when  you  sat  down  beside  me  and 
spoke  to  me  of  our  dear  Saviour.  After  you  went  away  I 
tried  to  think  of  something  else,  but  what  you  said  about 
our  best  Friend,  w^ho  would  help  me  bear  my  pain,  would 
keep  coming  back  to  my  mind.  I  hoped  that  you  would 
not  come  again,  for  I  dreaded  what  you  might  say  to  me. 
But,  thanks  be  to  God,  you  did  come  back,  and  tell  me  of 
Christ,  and  Him  crucified,  and  I  was  brought  to  see  my 
sins  and  turn  to  my  Saviour."  So  weeks  passed  on,  and 
I  could  see  no  change  in  his  spiritual  state.  All  that  I  said 
to  him  on  this  subject  he  listened  to  with  the  manner  of 
one  who  has  made  up  his  mind  to  endure  an  evil  from 
which  there  seemed  no  escape. 

The  short  notes  in  my  diary  prove  how  discouraged  I  felt 
concerning  him :  W.  seems  altogether  indifferent.  I  can 
only  pray  for  him.  He  allowed  me  to  read  to  him  daily 
from  the  New  Testament,  and  any  book  that  I  might 
choose.  "  Come  to  Jesus"  pleased  him  best,  and  one  day 
he  asked  me  to  leave  it  with  him.  How  thankful  I  felt ! 
But  the  next  day  he  handed  it  back  to  me,  saying,  "My 
heart  is  too  hard,  do  not  trouble  yourself  any  more  for  me. 
I  have  lived  too  long  without  religion  to  begin  now.  My 
mother  used  to  tell  me  all  this,  but  I  can't  feel  any  interest 
in  these  matters."     A  few  days  after  he  said,   "I  do  not 


1 66  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

think  that  I  am  very  bad."  When  I  spoke  to  him  of  his 
critical  state  and  the  danger  of  delay,  he  answered,  ^*  I  know 
it  all ;  perhaps  I  shall  feel  differently  some  time."  '*  Why  not 
now?  Let  us  go  to  Him  who  knows  all  our  troubles,  and 
ask  Him  to  show  us  our  sins  and  change  our  hearts?  May 
I  pray  fon  you?"  ''  No, — not  now.  I  cannot  see  it  as  you 
do;  I  should  be  a  hypocrite  if  I  prayed,  and  I  won't  be 
that."  I  pointed  him  to  the  words,  "Him  that  cometh 
unto  me  I  will  no  wise  cast  out,"  and  giving  him  Miss 
Elliott's  beautiful  hymn,  "Just  as  I  am,"  I  left  him.  Two 
days  after  he  greeted  me  with  a  pleasant  smile,  saying, 
"  How  long  you  have  been  away!"  "  Have  you  thought 
much  of  our  last  conversation  together?"  "  I  have  thought 
of  little  else,  but  I  cannot  think  that  I  ought  to  pray ;  it 
seems  as  if  I  must  be  very  wicked."  Again  I  told  him  of 
the  blood  of  Christ  that  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  "  Are  you 
willing  to  pray  for  me  to-day?"  I  knelt  by  his  bedside  in 
prayer,  and  before  leaving,  he  promised  me  to  try  to  pray 
for  himself  that  night. 

Alluding  to  this  he  writes:  "  How  merciful  God  has 
been  to  me  in  sparing  my  life  when  I  was  sinning  against 
Him  with  a  high  hand  !  Truly,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  am 
what  I  am.  How  many  hours  you  labored  with  me,  and 
how  stubborn  I  was  !  Never  shall  I  forget  the  night  when 
I  made  my  first  prayer.  I  went  into  the  bath-room  to  try 
to  pray ;  and  oh,  what  a  struggle  I  had  there  !  I  turned 
to  go  out  twice,  and  then  would  return  again.  At  last,  by 
God's  help,  I  conquered.  I  knelt  and  prayed,  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner  ;  it  was  all  that  I  could  ask.  When 
I  left  the  room  I  felt  that  God  had  given  me  a  victory  over 
my  great  enemy. ' '  Soon  after  he  was  able  to  attend  the 
Bible-class,  and  then  he  met  me  daily  for  private  prayer 
and  instruction.  He  seemed  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of 
his  own  guilt  and  the  long-suffering  goodness  of  God,  and 
at  times  was  very  much  depressed  on  account  of  the  cold- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  167 

ness  of  his  heart.  Not  until  he  consented  to  look  to  "Jesus 
only,"  did  he  find  rest;  then  his  sole  desire  was  to  confess 
that  Saviour,  ''for  I  long  to  feel  that  I  am  his  entirely.''' 
Soon  after  he  was  baptized  and  confirmed.  The  struggle 
was  long  and  severe,  but  divine  grace  prevailed  at  last, 
and  his  subsequent  life  has  proved  the  reality  of  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  subduing  the  most  stubborn  heart. 
In  his  own  words,  "  I  am  humbly  striving  to  do  my  duty  as 
a  faithful  servant  of  my  Lord.  He  is  all  I  want ;  dearer  to 
me  the  longer  I  live." 


CHRISTIAN   CLINICS. 

The  term  "clinic"  is  applied  to  practical  instruction  in 
the  healing  art  given  at  the  bedside  of  the  sick,  or  from 
notes  taken  at  the  bedside.  Without  opportunities  for 
observing  the  modes  of  cure,  text-books  and  lectures  can- 
not prepare  the  medical  student  for  successful  practice. 
Even  the  most  skilful  physician  realizes  his  need  of  supple- 
mental clinical  instruction,  for  his  range  of  observation  is 
limited,  while  the  phases  of  disease  are  ever  varying ;  hence 
the  publication  in  medical  journals  of  minute  and  graphic 
descriptions  of  improved  modes  of  treatment,  with  their 
eifect  upon  the  patient.  Practical  training,  the  dissemi- 
nation of  detailed  information,  and  conventions  of  phy- 
sicians for  conference,  have  wrought  such  a  change  in  the 
treatment  of  ?nenfal  dxst^sts  that  brute  force  has  been  re- 
placed by  sympathizing  persuasive  power,  and  eighty  per 
cent,  of  the  insane  can  now  be  cured.  Spiritual  maladies 
are  still  more  varied  and  subtle,  for  Satan  never  stereotypes 
his  temptations,  but  tries  to  adapt  them  to  the  ever-chang- 
ing mental,  physical,  and  social  condition  of  each  indi- 


1 68  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

vidual ;  and  then  he  artfully  conceals  the  venom  behind 
some  fashion  or  sensual  gratification. 

During  periods  of  ignorance,  superstition,  and  ultra- 
spiritualism,  the  Church  failed  to  appreciate  the  value  of 
Christian  clinics;  but  now  human  skill  and  persuasive 
power  are  regarded  by  all  intelligent  Christians  as  divine 
agencies,  whether  used  in  ministering  to  the  body,  to  the 
mind,  or  to  man's  still  higher  spiritual  nature.  The  Church 
has  the  highest  sanction  for  clinical  teaching  and  training; 
for  although  her  divine  Founder  intrusted  miraculous 
powers  to  the  first  Christian  teachers.  He  also  instructed 
them  in  the  art  of  spiritual  healing,  by  the  bedside,  by  the 
wayside,  and  from  house  to  house.  That  these  teachers 
were  afterwards  convened  for  mutual  conference  and  con- 
tinuous practical  instruction  is  evident,  for  "the  Apostles 
gathered  themselves  together  unto  Jesus,  and  told  Him 
all  things,  both  what  they  had  done  and  what  they  had 
taught."  The  Spirit  of  her  Lord  is  now  stirring  up  the 
Church  to  use  all  the  machinery  and  instrumentalities  that 
He  has  sanctioned,  but  skilled  laborers  are  sadly  needed ; 
therefore  women  helpers  are  doing  good  service  by  pub- 
lishing details  of  Christian  work,  and  this  new  depart- 
ment of  Church  literature  has  already  quickened  latent  zeal 
and  encouraged  timid  workers. 

Would  that  some  correspondent  could  furnish  details  of 
the  work  being  done  in  England  !  It  is  reported  of  a  Mrs. 
Bartlett  that,  although  suffering  with  heart  disease,  she 
began  a  woman's  Bible-class  with  three  members,  and  that 
it  grew  in  seven  years  to  seven  hundred  members,  ranging 
from  thirty  to  seventy  years  of  age.  Of  this  class  it  is  said 
"  that  a  large  number  of  the  converts  are  distributed  through- 
ont  the  country  ;  some  are  in  foreign  lands :  many  are  en- 
gaged in  mission  work,  either  adopting  the  same  method 
as  that  followed  out  by  their  instructress,  or  going  from 
house  to  house  administering  the  word  of  Truth." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  169 

This  extract  from  "News  of  the  Churches"  gives  a 
striking  illustration  of  the  value  of  Christian  clinics.  The 
following  paper  is  no  less  instructive.  W. 

April  27///. — Going    through  ward   seven,   I  paused  by 

the  bedside  of  S ,  a  young  man,  who  was  reading  the 

Army  Regulations.  I  stopped,  asked  about  his  wound, 
etc.,  then  said,  "God  has  given  us  a  book  of  rules  and 
regulations — the  Bible.      Do  you  ever  read  that?" 

"  I  used  to  in  camp  when  I  had  nothing  else  to  do.  I 
had  a  Bible  given  to  me  when  I  enlisted,  but  I  was  obliged 
to  throw  it  away,  with  my  knapsack;  I  was  very  sorry." 

"Did  you  ever  feel  as  if  you  ought  to  do  as  the  Bible 
says?     Did  you  ever  try  to  be  a  Christian?" 

"  Often,  for  awhile." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  you  have  felt  so  when  you  have  heard 
a  sermon,  or  some  one  has  talked  to  you  about  it,  but 
those  feelings  soon  passed  off." 

"I  never  had  any  one  to  talk  much  to  me  about  such 
things." 

I  found  he  had  had  no  religious  training,  and  had  never 
been  under  religious  influences.  As  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  to  work,  he  went  into  the  coal  mines  at  Mauch  Chunk, 
then  set  off  and  passed  a  year  or  two  at  sea,  and  as  soon  as 
the  rebellion  broke  out,  entered  the  army.  His  life  had 
been  a  wild  and  reckless  one,  without  God,  not  taking  actual 
delight  in  sin,  but  allowing  himself  to  fall  in  with  the  ways 
of  those  by  whom  he  was  surrounded ;  he  had  never  sworn 
much,  but  used  to  drink  a  good  deal,  and  for  months  at  the 
hospital  never  went  out  that  he  did  not  return  intoxicated. 

He  told  me  afterwards  that  he  had  often  noticed  me  en- 
gaged in  earnest  conversation  with  another  young  man  in  the 
ward,  and  would  say  to  himself,  "  If  I  had  some  one  to  talk 
in  that  way  to  me,  I  think  I  should  try  to  live  a  better 
life."     After  giving  these  particulars  about  himself,  he  said, 


lyo  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

in  answer  to  a  question,  that  though  he  was  not  as  bad  as 
some,  and  had  never  sworn  much,  yet  he  knew  he  was 
wicked,  and  that  if  he  should  die  as  he  was  he  should  be 
lost. 

"Yes,  when  we  come  to  stand  before  the  bar  of  God,  it 
will  do  us  no  good  to  say  that  we  are  no  worse  or  not  so 
bad  as  others ;  we  shall  be  tried  by  God's  pure  and  perfect 
law,  and  that  law  says  that  for  every  idle  word,  for  every 
foolish  thought,  how  much  more  for  every  sinful  thought, 
word  or  act,  we  shall  give  account !  How  can  we  stand 
before  a  holy  God,  and  what  can  we  answer  Him  ?  It  is 
fearful  to  think  of  it.  But  the  Bible  tells  us  that  He  is  will- 
ing to  forgive  all  our  sins  if  we  will  only  come  to  Him 
and  ask  for  pardon  through  his  dear  Son,  Jesus  Christ, 
who  died  for  us.  Will  you  not  come  ?  Do  you  ever  pray?" 
"  Once  in  awhile,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  do  any  good." 
"Eating  once  in  awhile  would  not  keep  a  man  strong 
and  healthy,  so  praying  once  in  awhile  cannot  be  expected 
to  do  the  soul  much  good.  No,  you  must  form  a  habit  of 
prayer,  go  to  God  morning  and  evening  to  ask  for  the  for- 
giveness of  sins  and  for  strength  to  resist  temptation.  Will 
you  not  do  so?" 

"I  would  be  afraid  to  promise.     I  might  forget  it." 
"If  the  doctor  ordered  you  to  take  a  certain  kind  of 
medicine  twice  a  day,  you  would  take  it,  even  though  you 
did  not  immediately  feel  the  good  effects,  and  you  would 
not  forget  it  if  you  thought  your  health  depended  on  it." 
"Oh,  no;  but  I  am  trying  to  break  off  my  bad  habits." 
"It  is  useless  to  try  without  God's  help ;  you  cannot  do 
it.     Have  you  not  often  made  good  resolutions  and  tried 
to  overcome  bad  habits  and  failed?'" 
"Oh,  yes." 

"You  can  do  nothing  good  without  God's  help." 
"  Oh,  I  have  enough  strength  of  mind  to  do  a  thing  if  I 
once  set  myself  about  it  and  resolve  that  I  will." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  171 

"  Well,  then,  resolve  that  you  will  pray  twice  every  day." 
He  found  himself  fairly  caught,  and  promised, 

*'Pray,  my  young  friend, — pray  very  earnestly  for  par- 
don through  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  for  strength  to  live  a 
Christian  life." 

I  left  him  a  book  to  read.  He  told  me  a  few  days  after- 
wards that  he  had  been  praying  regularly,  and  meant  to 
keep  it  up. 

May  3. — Talked  with  S about  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 

which  he  had  been  reading.  He  wanted  to  know  if  no  one 
in  the  world  were  perfect ;  felt  sure  he  knew  one  person 
who  was. 

^'  No,  that  is  a  mistake ;  the  Bible  says  there  is  no  man 
that  liveth  and  sinneth  not,  that  we  have  all  gone  out  of 
the  way,  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one.  And 
every  true  Christian  confesses  with  shame  and  sorrow  that 
he  is  a  miserable  sinner,  that  when  he  would  do  good,  evi] 
is  present  with  him.  No,  no  one  is  perfect ;  each  one  of 
us  needs  a  substitute, — a  pure  and  holy  being  to  keep  God's 
commandments  for  us,  and  to  bear  the  punishment  which 
we  have  deserved  for  breaking  them.  And  Jesus  Christ 
comes  and  offers  to  be  our  substitute." 

*'I  feel  that  I  am  yet  very  sinful." 

"  Bring  your  load  of  sins  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  as  the 
pilgrim  did,  take  Jesus  Christ  for  your  substitute,  your 
Saviour. ' ' 

"  In  going  into  battle,  I  used  often  to  wish  I  was  pre- 
pared, but  knew  it  was  too  late  then ;  I  fear  it  is  so  now. 
I  am  not  earnest  enough.  I  feel  very  serious  at  times,  but 
at  other  times  indifferent,  and  fear  I  shall  be  just  the  same 
as  ever  when  I  get  back  to  camp.  I  will  persevere  and 
continue  to  pray." 

Just  at  this  state  of  his  religious  history  and  whilst  en- 
gaged in  reading  the  "  Pathway  of  Safety,"  he  was  removed 
to  another  ward,  out  of  my  reach.     A  day  or  two  after- 


172 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH 


wards,  just  before  leaving  for  a  short  visit  to  Washington, 
I  wrote  him  a  letter  expressive  of  my  affectionate  interest 
in  him,  and  pointing  him  to  the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh 
away  tl"i^  sin  of  the  world. 

Partly  owing  to  the  interest  expressed,  which  his  position 
at  the  time  made  him  particularly  prize,  partly  to  the  new  and 
clearer  view  given  of  God's  amazing  love  for  a  sinful  world, 
this  letter  had  a  most  powerful  effect  upon  him ;  his  heart 
was  completely  melted  ;  he  could  not  refrain  from  weeping, 
and  each  time  he  tried  to  control  his  emotion,  the  tears 
would  burst  forth  afresh  ;  at  last  his  feelings  completely  mas- 
tered him,  and  though  it  was  mid-day  and  the  ward  full  of 
men,  he  fell  on  his  knees  at  his  bedside  and  poured  out  his 
whole  heart  in  humble  confession  of  his  sins  to  that  mer- 
ciful heavenly  Father  whom  he  had  so  grievously  offended. 

After  my  return,  I  had  frequent  interviews  with  him,  but 
though  he  was  extremely  earnest,  it  was  difficult  to  intro- 
duce the  full  blaze  of  gospel  light  through  the  dark  cloud 
of  ignorance  which  enveloped  his  mind ;  his  progress  was 
slow ;  there  were  many  doubts  and  fears ;  but  at  last  the 
sun  of  righteousness  arose  with  healing  in  his  beams. 

May  19. — S is  "striving,  sometimes  earnest,  some- 
times not  so  much  so ;  is  getting  less  sinful  and  hopes  by- 
and-by  to  overcome  his  sins  entirely, — thinks  he  can  do 
so;"  he  is  self-confident;  does  not  think  he  can  get  for- 
giveness now ;  is  sometimes  tempted  to  give  it  all  up,  I 
told  him  of  the  freeness  and  fulness  of  salvation  by  the 
blood  of  Christ  alone,  that  we  must  place  no  confidence 
in  ourselves,  our  good  resolutions,  efforts,  etc.  He  finds 
it  hard  to  live  a  Christian  life,  sinful  thoughts  and  habits 
have  so  long  controlled  him,  the  world  will  come  in. 
He  thinks,  in  fact  he  is  quite  sure,  that  if  he  could  only 
live  alone  for  a  week  or  ten  days  he  could  become  good. 

I  told  him  of  the  power  of  the  tempter  which  can  draw 
us  away  from  the  right  path  whether  we  are  alone  or  ia 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  173 

company.  Satan  found  Jesus  alone  in  the  wilderness,  and 
there  spread  before  Him  his  fiercest  temptations.  So,  for 
many  ages  in  the  Christian  Church,  men  and  women 
thought  as  you  do,  and  shut  themselves  up  in  monasteries 
and  nunneries  to  get  away  from  the  temptations  of  the 
world,  but  they  soon  found  that  their  worst  enemies  were 
their  own  sinful  hearts  stirred  up  by  Satan,  and  that  no 
bolts  or  bars  could  shut  them  out. 

He  said  that  he  had  been  trying  to  exercise  self-control, 

but  found  he  could  not  do  so,  though  he  had  told  Mr. 

that  he  could. 

This  gave  me  the  opportunity  to  show  that  we  do  not 
understand  our  inability  to  do  right  until  we  earnestly  set  to 
work  to  try,  just  as  the  man  recovering  from  a  fit  of  illness 
is  surprised,  when  he  first  tries  to  walk  across  the  room,  to 
find  how  weak  and  tottering  his  steps  are.  And  we  are  not 
only  very  weak,  but  very  sinful ;  we  have  no  idea  how  sinful, 
until  we  begin  to  look  into  our  hearts.  On  first  going  into 
a  dark  room,  you  can  see  nothing,  but  gradually,  as  the  eye 
accustoms  itself  to  the  darkness,  you  see  first  the  large,  then 
the  small,  objects  in  the  room.  So  with  our  hearts:  at  first 
we  notice  only  outward  and  glaring  sins,  but,  by  degrees, 
we  find  inward  and  hidden  ones,  sins  of  thought  and  feeling 
which  we  did  not  suspect. 

I  tried,  moreover,  to  cultivate  in  him  the  grace  of  hu- 
mility by  our  Saviour's  example,  for  He  was  meek  and 
lowly  in  heart,  and  by  that  of  St.  Paul,  who,  though  the 
greatest  of  the  apostles,  calls  himself  the  "chief  of  sinners." 

June  1st. — Again  talked  to  S .  He  thinks  he  is  get- 
ting along  well ;  "he  does  a  great  deal  better  than  he  did." 

Ju?ie  2d. — Long  talk  with  S ;  most  satisfactory.    He 

feels  his  sins,  but  knows  he  does  not  feel  them  as  he  should  ; 
would  rather  be  a  Christian  than  have  all  the  gold  and  silver 
in  the  world, — alluding  to  the  text  I  had  written  in  his 
Testament,  "What  shall  it  profit,"  etc.     He  thinks  God 


174 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 


will  not  pardon  him  right  away,  because  he  has  been  such 
a  great  sinner ;  that  God  means  to  keep  him  praying  and 
seeking  awhile  longer. 

"  You  are  making  a  great  mistake  there.  God  offers 
salvation  as  a  free  gift,  and  you  are  thinking  of  paying  for 
it  by  your  prayers  and  efforts.  Christ  has  already  paid  for 
it.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  it  is  through  Christ  alone  we 
can  hope  for  pardon.  His  blood  alone  cleanseth  from  all 
sin.  You  put  your  feelings  and  your  efforts  in  the  place  of 
Christ.  He  comes  to  us  and  offers  pardon  as  a  free  gift 
now.  Will  we  take  it  now,  or  wait  until  we  have  a  stronger 
desire  for  it,  '  until  we  can  pay  for  it'  ?  " 

I  found  that  he  was  expecting  that  God  would  by-and-by 
reveal  himself  to  him  and  make  him  suddenly  very  happy 
by  the  assurance  that  his  sins  were  all  forgiven. 

"  Is  that  God's  method  in  nature?  In  winter,  the  trees 
are  bare  and  lifeless;  no  grass  or  flowers  are  to  be  seen, 
everywhere  is  bleakness,  and  cold,  and  desolation.  Does 
everything  suddenly  change  into  the  full  glory  and  beauty 
of  summer?  Does  there  not  first  come  the  budding  of  the 
early  spring,  the  gradual  unfolding  of  the  leaves,  and  then 
the  full  covering  of  field  and  tree?  Do  we  suddenly  rush 
from  the  darkness  of  midnight  into  the  full,  clear  light  of 
noon  ?  Is  there  not  first  the  gradual  shading  of  darkness 
into  light,  the  gray  dawn,  then  by  slow  degrees  the  sun 
shining  brighter  and  clearer  until  noon?" 

I  questioned  him  closely ;  asked  if  he  really  disliked  his 
old  ways;  "  if  a  life  of  sin  and  a  life  of  religion  would 
equally  lead  to  heaven,  which  would  you  choose?" 

"A  few  weeks  ago  I  should  not  have  known  what  to 
answer  ;  now  I  feel  sure  that  I  prefer  the  ways  of  God." 

He  had  such  a  horror  of  hypocrisy  and  fear  of  saying 
more  than  he  felt,  that  he  was  unwilling  to  write  anything 
about  his  feelings  or  to  speak  of  them  publicly.  He  thinks 
he  *'  feels  some  love  for  the  Saviour,  but  not  as  he  ought." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  lyq 

*'  That  is  very  true  :  we  none  of  us  love  Him  as  we  ought. 
It  is  because  our  hearts  are  so  cold  and  hard,  and  because 
we  do  not  think  of  all  He  has  done  for  us,  of  his  wonderful 
love  in  coming  down  from  his  throne  in  glory,  his  bright 
home  in  heaven,  to  be  a  poor,  despised  man  here  on  earth, 
and  to  bleed  and  die  for  us,  his  enemies.  Ah,  if  we  would 
but  remember  the  nails  which  pierced  his  hands  and  feet, 
the  crown  of  thorns,  the  agony  He  endured  upon  the  cross 
when  he  felt  that  God's  anger  rested  upon  Him,  as  our 
representative  ;  if  we  would  but  think  how  He  was  mocked 
and  scourged  and  spit  upon,  and  finally  crucified  for  us, 
surely,  surely  we  should  love  Him  more  !  Read  about  Jesus' 
love  and  sufferings,  think  about  them,  and  pray  God  to 
help  you  to  love  Him  more.  " 

*'I  do  pray  often, — not  morning  and  evening  only,  but 
whenever  temptation  comes,  and  enjoy  it  very  much.  I 
try  to  keep  thoughts  of  God  always  in  my  mind." 

'*  How  do  you  think  of  God,  as  the  great  Creator?" 

"Yes,  of  his  power." 

''He  is  great,  and  high,  and  mighty;  but  when  we 
think  only  of  these  things,  we  are  filled  with  fear,  and  God 
seems  far  off.  He  took  our  nature  upon  Him  and  became 
a  7nan, — the  man  Christ  Jesus, — and  now  He  comes  very 
near  us.  He  endured  sorrows,  trials,  temptations  like  ours, 
and  He  knows  our  trials  and  feels  the  tenderest  love  and 
sympathy  for  us  in  the  midst  of  them  ;  if  we  think  of  Him 
thus,  we  cannot  but  love  Him." 

I  was  very  much  struck,  in  the  course  of  this  conversa- 
tion, with  the  strong  fear  he  expressed  lest  his  feelings 
should  change  when  he  returned  to  camp,  and  he  be  led 
away  by  temptations.  This  was  in  marked  contrast  to  the 
self-confidence  of  a  few^  weeks  back.  I  encouraged  him  by 
the  promises  of  help  to  the  feeble  and  the  tempted,  help  al- 
ways to  be  had  in  answer  to  prayer,  and  assured  him  that  I 
prayed  for  him.  He  thanked  me,  and  said  he  "  prayed  for  those 


176     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

who  were  trying  to  instruct  him  ;  that  he  did  not  know  how 
to  pray  very  well,  but  he  tried  to  have  it  come  from  the 
heart." 

Jime  yi. — I  introduced  S to  the  chaplain,  who  spoke 

a  few  words  to  him  on  the  duty  of  personal  religion,  after 

which  S and  I  had  a  long  talk,  in  which  we  went  over 

very  much  the  same  ground  as  yesterday.  He  said  that 
"  last  evening  he  got  to  thinking  of  our  Saviour's  suffer- 
ings for  us,  and  he  cried  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, — he 
could  not  help  it, — although  crying  is  unusual."  He 
thinks  he  ''does  not  feel  just  right,  or  God  would  pardon 
him"  (that  is,  give  him  the  assurance  of  pardon);  he  ''  wants 
to  get  closer  to  Jesus."  He  reads  and  prays  constantly; 
does  not  like  to  do  anything  else,  lest  his  religious  impres- 
sions should  leave  him. 

June  ^th. — I  was  in  the  ward  talking  with  M ,  when 

S came  in,  with  a  beaming  countenance;  he  had  been 

looking  through  the  wards  for  me ;  he  wanted  to  tell  me 
how  much  good  the  tract  ''I  have  my  Ticket"  had  done 
him;  he  had  felt  so  happy  the  past  hour,  he  could  see  it  all 
now,  he  could  see  how  God  had  put  away  his  sin,  he  could 
take  Jesus  as  his  Saviour. 

This  faith  not  only  produced  joy  and  peace,  but  instantly 
proved  itself  a  living  faith,  for  he  asked  me  to  give  him 
some  tracts  for  distribution,  and  to  go  with  him  to  see  a 
young  friend,  who  had,  like  himself,  just  commenced  the 
Christian  life. 

Just  at  this  time  a  large  number  of  new  patients  came  to 
the  hospital,  the  Bible-classes  were  commenced,  and  I  was  too 
much  occupied  to  make  any  entries  in  my  diary.  I  saw 
and  conversed  with  S frequently  ;  his  progress  was  ex- 
tremely satisfactory,  and  I  proposed  that  he  should  be  bap- 
tized. He  assented,  and  in  preparation  for  baptism,  began 
to  study  the  Catechism. 

Jmie  2\th. — More  than  an  hour  with  S ,  explaining 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  177 

the  promises  made  in  baptism,  etc.  He  is  most  earnest  and 
conscientious.    I  spoke  of  the  pomps  and  vanity  of  the  world. 

"  Those  things  are  no  temptation  to  me." 

''What!"  said  I,  "don't  you  care  to  rise  in  your  pro- 
fession?" 

'*  Oh,  yes  !  I  came  near  leaving  here  lately  on  that  ac- 
count. I  had  a  letter  from  a  friend  in  the  regiment,  to 
say  that  I  had  better  return,  as  there  was  a  prospect  of  my 
getting  a  commission,  and  I  thought  I  would  go,  even  be- 
fore I  was  ordered  off;  but  that  day  you  said  a  great  deal 
in  the  Bible-class  about  giving  up  all  for  Christ,  so  I  wrote 
to  my  friend  that  I  would  not  return  for  a  month," 

June  25M. — Explaining  the  Creed  to  S .     He  asked, 

''Is  it  wrong  for  a  person  to  wish  to  die?" 

"  Why,"  said  I,  "do  you  sometimes  wish  to  die?" 

"  Sometimes,  when  I  hope  I  am  prepared." 

I  said,  "It  is  better  to  say,  '  Thy  will  be  done.'  It  is 
better  to  work  and  fight  for  Christ,  and  thus  show  our  love 
and  gratitude  for  what  He  has  done  for  us." 

"Yes,  that  is  true." 

S heard  from  home  that  he  had  been  baptized  in  in- 
fancy. I  saw  him  for  an  hour  almost  every  day,  instruct- 
ing him  in  the  Catechism,  and  giving  him  such  counsel 
as  I  thought  he  needed.  He  was  very  ignorant,  and  very 
full  of  doubts  and  fears,  but  intensely  earnest,  perfectly 
absorbed  in  the  one  thing. 

On  the  14th  of  July  he  was  confirmed. 

July   \^th. — S was    feeling   utterly  downcast,   and 

wanted  me  to  comfort  him,  yet  thought  it  was  perhaps 
wrong  to  go  to  any  one  but  Jesus ;  thinks  he  ought  to  feel 
so  happy  and  peaceful,  fears  he  is  all  wrong  because  so 
depressed. 

"  Not  at  all.  It  is  the  natural  reaction  from  the  excite- 
ment of  yesterday.  And,  beside,  you  know  your  reconcil- 
iation with  God  and  his  love  to  you  do  not  depend  on 


178  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

your  changing  feelings,  but  on  the  blood  of  Jesus,  which 
has  purchased  pardon  for  you,  and  God  freely  bestows  the 
Holy  Spirit  on  you.  This  is  the  ground  of  our  hope. 
Christ  Jesus,  the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  forever, 
the  Rock  of  our  Salvation." 

He  felt  greatly  comforted. 

Speaking  of  going  back  to  his  regiment,  he  said,  ''I 
think  I  shall  probably  be  killed ;  but  I  have  no  fear.  I 
have  lost  all  hope  of  promotion.  I  care  not  for  that,  or 
for  wealth,  or  any  earthly  thing,  if  I  can  only  love  God 
more.  I  feel  that  I  am  more  sinful  than  any  one  in  the 
world  who  is  really  seeking  God,  that  I  have  such  a  very 
wicked  heart,  I  had  no  idea  how  wicked  it  was  until  1 
began  to  try  and  be  a  Christian,  and  I  feel  that  I  have  so 
little  love  for  Jesus,  when  I  ought  to  have  so  much. ' ' 

July  I  ph. — S has  been,   and   is,   sorely  tempted. 

**  Has  not  any  faith  left,  and  thinks  there  is  no  hope  for 
him." 

"  You  intend,  then,  to  give  it  all  up?" 

^'  Oh,  no,  I  never  will  do  that,  I  hope." 

Yet  he  felt  wretchedly  unhappy,  confounding  temptation 
with  sin.  I  tried  to  explain  the  difference,  and  to  show 
him  that  he  needed  to  be  looking  away  from  self,  '*off 
unto  Jesus." 

A  few  days  later  my  diary  says  :  S feels  brighter  and 

happier,  and  ''only  wants  more  faith." 

July  22d. — Talked  and  prayed  with  S .   He  was  in  the 

Bible-class,  and  now  he  is  gone  !  God  forever  bless  him  ! 
All  he  wants  is  ''more  love  to  God."  I  spoke  of  "God 
manifest  in  the  flesh — Jesus — as  the  one  altogether  lovely, 
the  chief  among  ten  thousand,  tender  and  sympathizing, 
the  ever-present  Comforter  and  Friend." 

From  the  time  S left  the  hospital,  until  the  first  of 

February,  each  week  brought  me  a  letter  from  him.  Every 
letter  breathed  a  spirit  of  earnest  devotion  to  his  Saviour, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  179 

of  deepest  humility,  and  of  ardent  love  for  the  souls  of  his 
fellow-men.  I  have  since  heard  that  his  efforts  for  the 
spiritual  well-being  of  his  comrades  were  blessed  to  some 
of  them,  and  that  his  holy  and  consistent  life  commanded 
the  respect  and  won  the  affection  of  every  member  of  the 
regiment.  ''They  all  loved  him  as  a  brother,"  said  one 
of  their  number  to  me. 

One  evening  in  February  I  was  told  some  one  wished  to 

see  me,  and  going  into  the  entry,  S met  me,  with  the 

salutation,  "  I  have  come  instead  of  the  letter  this  week  !" 

He  had  been  sent  here  on  recruiting  service,  and  for 
several  weeks  I  had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  and 
conversing  with  him.  His  ardor  and  earnestness  in  the 
Christian  life  were  extraordinary.  He  had  no  thought 
apart  from  religion,  no  wish  but  to  glorify  his  Saviour.  I 
think  these  feelings  were  on  the  point  of  degenerating  into 
fanaticism,  standing  almost  alone,  as  he  did,  in  the  regi- 
ment, and  cut  off  from  religious  instruction.  He  said 
"something  told  him"  he  must  go  off  and  pray  every  two 
or  three  hours,  and  these  hours  sometimes  very  incon- 
venient ones;  "something  told  him"  he  must  pray  aloud, 
and  so  very  loudly  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  all  around. 

But  with  so  sincere  a  desire  to  love  and  serve  God  ac- 
ceptably, such  anxiety  for  instruction,  and  such  a  docile, 
childlike  spirit,  it  was  not  difficult  to  make  him  understand 
that  God's  Word  and  our  own  reason,  not  an  undefined 
"something,"  are  our  guides  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  that 
we  should  be  as  careful,  on  the  one  hand,  not  to  give  oc- 
casion to  the  enemies  of  religion  to  scoif  and  jeer,  as  we 
should  be,  on  the  other,  not  to  be  ashamed  or  afraid  to 
confess  Christ  before  men. 

He  daily  grew  in  grace.  His  whole  delight  was  in 
prayer,  in  reading  the  Bible,  and  in  religious  conversation. 
I  often  gave  him  religious  books  to  read.  He  read  them, 
but  seemed  all  the  while  to  be  thirsting  for  the  Bible,  to 


l8o  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

which  he  returned  with  fresh  zest.  Whenever  he  came  to 
see  me,  he  had  some  passage  or  text  to  be  explained,  some 
question  of  duty  to  propound. 

Whilst  recruiting  for  the  army,  he  was  for  some  weeks 
stationed  at  the  rendezvous,  where  there  were,  at  that  time, 
many  sick  soldiers ;  to  all  of  these,  as  well  as  to  every 
recruit  whom  he  enlisted,  he  was  a  missionary  of  the  Cross, 
delighting  to  speak  to  each  one  of  the  love  of  Christ,  and 
to  urge  them  to  accept,  without  delay,  his  gracious  invita- 
tion to  come  unto  Him,  and  be  saved. 

He  went  to  the  hospital  several  times  for  the  express 
purpose  of  seeing  and  having  religious  conversation  with 
the  members  of  his  regiment  who  were  there.  And  when 
he  went  home,  to  Mauch  Chunk,  he  made  his  influence  so 
decidedly  felt  that  one  or  two  of  his  young  cousins  gave 
their  hearts  to  the  Saviour,  and  entered  upon  the  Christian 
life. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  reaching  home   later  than   usual 

from  the  hospital,  I  found  S waiting  to  see  and  bid  me 

good-by.  He  was  going  that  evening  to  his  regiment.  I 
can  now  recall  many  things  which  show  that  he  felt  what — 
strange  as  it  may  seem — most  soldiers  do  not  feel:  that  he 
should  probably  be  killed.  But  he  was  perfectly  calm  and 
cheerful,  though  he  keenly  felt  the  pain  of  parting. 

As  we  were  about  to  kneel  in  prayer  for  the  last  time,  I 
said,  ^*S ,  what  shall  I  ask  God  for  you?" 

"Ask,"  said  he,  ''that  my  heart  maybe  more  filled  with 
the  love  of  Christ,  that  I  may  be  more  earnest,  and  con- 
tinue faithful  to  the  end." 

''But,"  said  I,  "you  are  about  to  be  exposed  to  fearful 
danger.     Shall  I  not  ask  God  to  keep  you  safe?" 

"No,"  said  he,  "I  do  not  care  to  ask  for  that." 

So  we  knelt,  and  after  a  brief  but  fervent  and  beautiful 
prayer  from  him,  I  commended  him  to  our  covenant  God 
and  Father,  imploring  protection  from  spiritual  dangers, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  i8i 

and  committing  him,  body  and  soul,  into  his  holy  care  and 
keeping. 

My  heart  was  in  my  throat  as  I  took  a  hand  in  each  of 

mine,    and    said,    "Good-by,   S .     May   God    forever 

bless  you  ! ' ' 

He  could  hardly  speak,  but,  with  a  look  I  can  never 
forget,  he  said  one  word,  ''Mother!" 

He  had  gone  half-way  down-stairs,  when  he  turned,  and 

said,  " ,  I  thank  you  very  much  for  all  you  have  done 

for  me." 

Again  he  said  good-by.  It  was  our  last  good-by !  As 
I  went  into  the  parlor,  I  said,  ''Oh,  how  dreadful  is  this 
war,  which  crushes  out  young  lives  like  that!"  Alas,  how 
little  did  I  think  that  three  weeks  from  that  night  he  would 
be  stretched  a  lifeless  corpse  in  the  hospital  of  the  Second 
Corps,  in  front  of  Petersburg  ! 

I  received  two  letters  from  him  after  he  left.  The  long 
promised  commission  was  his,  and  wiih  it  came  the  temp- 
tation to  shrink  from  kneeling  as  frequently  as  usual  in 
prayer  in  the  presence  of  his  fellow-officers,  but  the  temp- 
tation was  instantly  overcome,  and  his  Saviour  fearlessly 
confessed  before  the  ungodly  and  profane. 

Elated,  too,  as  a  poor  and  ignorant  young  miner  might 
have  been  at  such  an  elevation,  he  could  honestly  say  that 
he  cared  but  little  for  it,  and  that  his  prayer  was  that  his 
affections  might  not  be  set  on  earthly  things. 

Three  days  before  his  death,  writing  to  a  young  friend 
who  had  been  brought  into  the  fold  of  Christ  mainly 
through  his  influence,  he  says  he  hopes  his  letter  "will  find 
him  growing  in  the  love  of  Jesus,"  and  exhorts  him  "to 
speak  a  good  word  whenever  he  can."  His  last  letter  to 
me  closes  with  the  "trust  that  he  may  live  unto  God  and 
near  Him." 

On  Friday  afternoon,  June  17th,  he  wrote  thus  to  his 
mother:    "There  need  and   ought  to  be  continual  prayer 

16 


1 82     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

offered  to  our  Maker  for  a  speedy  restoration  of  peace.  If 
there  were  more  praying,  there  would  be  more  success  to 
our  armies.  Pray  for  peace  j  that  God  may  impress  his 
Holy  Word  deep  into  the  hearts  of  the  world;  that  they 
may  live  unto  Jesus,  who  died  for  sinners.  .  .  .  Pray 
earnest;  have  morning  and  evening  prayer  in  the  family. 
People  can't  see  fully  at  home  the  prayers  that  ought  to  be 
offered  to  our  Master  for  sin  to  cease ;  that  every  heart 
should  be  humbled  in  the  sight  of  our  heavenly  Father.  I 
trust  that  you  and  I  and  all  others  may  try  to  serve  God 
until  our  lives  end,  who  drives  fear  away,  and  cheers  me 
with  his  precious  promises.  Pray  for  me,  that  I  may  live 
unto  my  Saviour,  and  that  faithfully." 

After  writing  this  letter,  he  knelt  in  prayer,  then  formed 
in  line  of  battle  with  his  company.  A  column  of  the  Ninth 
Corps  was  advancing  to  storm  the  enemy's  works  in  their 

front,  and  about  two  hundred  yards  distant.     S called 

out,  ''Give  them  another  cheer,  boys!"  At  that  moment 
a  shell  exploded,  and  a  piece  of  it  struck  him  in  the  breast, 
inflicting  a  large  wound.  He  spoke  not  another  word, 
and  in  five  minutes  he  was  dead.  It  was  less  than  half  an 
hour  after  he  arose  from  his  knees  in  prayer ! 

Was  not  that  prayer  answered?  Was  he  not  faithful  to 
the  end? 


A   REMEDIAL   INTERMEDIATE   STATE. 

The  Church  being  powerless  over  disembodied  spirits 
either  for  weal  or  woe,  is  under  the  higher  obligation,  in 
proportion  to  her  authority,  to  diversify  to  the  utmost  her 
efforts  to  save  those  still  in  the  body. 

If,  from  lack  of  consideration  for  those  whose  lot  is  labor. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  183 

any  such  have  been  estranged  from  the  Church,  this  in- 
creases her  responsibility  to  seek  them  out,  and  to  provide 
some  intermediate  remedial  state  in  which  prejudice  can  be 
removed  by  Christian  fellowship,  the  simple  gospel  truths 
inculcated,  and  the  ignorant  trained  to  unite  profitably  in 
her  public  liturgical  worship. 

That  there  is  alienation  is  apparent,  and  that  the  fault  is 
not  wholly  with  the  working  class  is  equally  evident,  for 
surely  it  is  neither  apostolic  nor  catholic  to  allow  the  rich 
to  monopolize  the  best  teachers  of  religion,  and  also 
churches  that  have  been  solemnly  consecrated  to  ''the 
public  worship  of  God,"  with  this  injunction,  "  Make  not 
my  Father's  house  an  house  of  merchandise."  Indiscreet 
alms-giving  also  alienates,  for  it  is  sometimes  used  as  a  lure 
to  draw  the  improvident  to  church,  making  them  still  more 
idle  and  unthrifty;  such  are  quite  willing  to  occupy  the 
pauper  pews  or  benches,  but  the  more  thrifty  absent  them- 
selves, because  in  such  cases  all  church-goers  of  their  class 
are  invariably  charged  with  mercenary  motives.  They 
send  their  children  to  the  Sunday-school  because  it  is 
adapted  to  their  tastes,  and  is  conducted  on  catholic  prin- 
ciples ;  and  working  people  freely  attend  mothers'  meetings 
and  Bible-classes  when  there  is  heart  in  them,  and  considera- 
tion is  shown  for  their  instinctive  feeling  of  independence. 

Prejudice  against  a  liturgical  service  is  rapidly  passing 
away  ;  for  beneficial  brotherhoods  use  forms  of  prayer,  and 
the  abuse  of  extemporaneous  prayer  in  public  worship 
during  recent  political  excitements  has  disgusted  many 
working  people  and  driven  them  from  other  religious  bodies. 
It  is  apparent  that  our  liturgical  service,  after  proper  train- 
ing in  its  use,  is  well  adapted  to  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  men  in  their  public  worship,  but  it  is  neither  exciting 
nor  popular,  being  somewhat  complicated  until  strangers 
become  familiar  with  it.  Experience  has  demonstrated  the 
absolute  need  of  a  remedial  association  in  which  the  igno- 


l84  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

rant  may  be   socialized  and  trained  to   profit  by  the  full 
public  services  of  the  Church. 

Hospitals  and  other  charities  are  preparing  the  way  for 
an  aggressive  movement ;  but  the  Church  must  become  as 
apostolic  and  catholic  in  practice  as  she  is  in  doctrine,  or 
success  will  be  partial  and  temporary.  The  best  medical 
skill,  the  most  sympathizing  nursing  and  appropriate  diet, 
are  all  furnished  equally  to  every  inmate  in  a  hospital, 
whilst  in  the  Church,  little  interest  has  yet  been  manifested 
in  the  more  fatal  spiritual  ailments  of  the  same  class  of 
adults.  That  a  brighter  day  is  dawning  is  evident,  for  the 
working  classes  have  been  largely  represented  in  recent 
confirmations.  The  following  paper  from  an  experienced 
lay-worker  tells  how  men,  whose  lot  is  labor,  are  drawn 
from  their  lairs  into  the  Bible-class,  a  remedial  intermediate 
state,  and  through  it  to  Christ  and  the  Church.  W. 

Dear  Sir, — You  ask  me  to  give  some  account  of  my 
method  of  conducting  a  Bible-class. 

Instead  of  that,  I  send  you  a  few  hints,  illustrated  by 
facts  and  conversations ;  a  full  unfolding  of  the  subject 
would  be  too  voluminous  and  wearisome. 

A  Bible-class  teacher  should  be  a  diligent  student  of  two 
books,  God's  Word  and  the  human  heart,  in  order  to  gain 
the  "wisdom  whose  price  is  above  rubies."  In  these 
studies  I  am  as  yet  a  mere  beginner,  still,  I  will  give  you 
the  promised  sketches,  although  they  are  very  incomplete 
and  unsatisfactory. 

''  Mrs.  N ,"  said  one  of  the  class  to  me  one  day,  "I 

will  have  to  give  up  all  hope  of  getting  Mr.   O to  the 

Bible-class;    I   think  nothing  will   induce  him   to  come. 
Suppose  you  and  I  go  together  to  see  him  ;  you  know  two 

are  better  than  one,  any  day."     We  went.     Mr.   O 

received  us  very  courteously,  but  I  fancied  he  was  not  much 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  1S5 

pleased  with  the  prospect  of  being  again  urged  to  the  class, 
so  when  my  guide  immediately  opened  with  that  subject,  I 
gently  introduced  another,  drew  him  out  about  his  children, 
his  trade,  his  army  experience,  etc.,  by  which  means  it  was 
easy  to  gauge  the  man  while  striving  to  win  his  confidence. 

At  last,  rising  to  go,  I  said,  ''  Mr.  O ,  I  should  be  very 

glad  to  have  you  come  to  our  Bible-class  and  see  how  you 
like  it."  ''I  think  I  shall  come  next  Sunday."  Since  that 
time,  for  nearly  four  months,  he  has  never  been  absent. 

Sunday  inortiing  Jatiuary  6th. — Called  to  see  Mr.  F 

who  had  been  several  times  invited  by  a  member  of  the  class  ; 
he  is  an  engraver,  and  had  lately  been  engaged  in  printing 
new  paper  currency  for  the  Italian  government ;  this  easily 
led  to  conversation  on  the  wonderful  changes  which  the 
past  few  years  had  brought  about  in  Italy,  some  of  which  I 
had  seen,  and  on  the  miserable  condition,  spiritual  and 
political,  in  which  Rome  still  continues.  In  the  course  of 
the  conversation,  I  had  the  opportunity  to  say  a  few  words 
on  the  importance  of  personal  religion,  but  nothing  very 
pointed.  As  I  bade  him  good-by,  he  said,  "Well,  I 
shall  join  your  Bible-class,  for  I  think  I  can  learn  some- 
thing from  you  !"     He  also  has  been  true  to  his  word. 

After  a  man  has  fairly  committed  himself  by  allowing  me 
to  put  his  name  in  my  roll-book,  I  seize  upon  every  oppor- 
tunity for  getting  acquainted  with  him,  each  chat  of  even 
five  minutes  serving  to  establish  friendly  relations.  I  try 
not  to  allow  my  anxiety  for  their  salvation  to  draw  me  into 
the  error  of  pressing  the  subject  of  religion  too  hastily  upon 
them,  yet  no  man  has  been  many  weeks  in  my  class  with- 
out an  invitation  to  a  private  conversation,  generally  at  my 

own  house.     Mr.  C comes ;  he  is  a  Scotchman,  and 

has  lived  in  England.  I  have  many  questions  to  ask  about 
both  countries.  He  can  give  me  information  about  the 
relative  condition  of  working-men  in  both ;  of  the  manu- 
facture of  the  article  made  in  his  trade,  as  carried  on  there 

16* 


1 86  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

and  in  America.  Moreover,  he  and  I  have  seen  the  same 
cities,  cathedrals,  museums,  etc.,  in  England  and  Scotland, 
and  thus  have  a  subject  of  common  interest.  I  am  no 
longer  the  teacher,  but  the  companion  and  friend,  and  quite 
naturally  the  conversation  becomes  personal.  He  is  drawn 
out  with  as  little  direct  questioning  as  possible,  as  little  dis- 
play of  curiosity,  by  my  interest  in  his  early  home  and 
parents,  his  boyhood  and  training,  and  in  his  later  experi- 
ences of  life. 

Or,  it  is  Mr.  A who  is  paying  me  a  visit ;  he  is  young, 

has  seen  less  of  life,  and  is  somewhat  embarrassed,  not  know- 
ing exactly  what  he  has  come  for.  I  talk  to  him  about  his 
widowed  mother ;  about  the  children  ;  his  school-days  ;  the 
studies  he  has  pursued,  etc.  If  he  likes  geography,  I  tell 
him  a  little  about  foreign  lands  ;  if  he  has  read  any  history, 
I  give  a  few  incidents  which  are  new  to  him  ;  if  he  has  been 
in  the  army,  I  narrate  to  him  some  of  my  own  experiences 
during  the  war  ;  any  subject  which  gives  me  the  occasion  to 
awaken  interest,  puts  him  at  his  ease,  and  I  learn  his  char- 
acteristics. In  both  these  cases,  and  in  many  others,  I  have 
found  it  wisest  not  to  alarm  or  embarrass  by  too  pointed 
and  personal  conversation  on  religion,  but  to  win  r&spect 
and  confidence  first,  as  a  preparation  for  the  other.  But 
the  direct  appeal  is  not  long  delayed  ;  it  is  not  by  appoint- 
ment, but,  as  it  were,  incidentally.     I  called  one  day  at 

Mr.  B 's  shop  to  leave  a  ticket  for  a  lecture,  and  have 

a  few  minutes'  talk.  The  shop  and  the  business  were  the 
first  topic,  followed  by  temperance,  as  the  lecture  was  to  be 
on  that  subject,  and  a  few  remarks  on  the  powerlessness  of 
temperance  or  morality  to  make  men  what  they  ought  to 

be.     And  then,  "Mr.   B ,  where  do  you  stand?     Are 

you  a  Christian  or  are  you  not  ?"  One  is  met  in  the  street, 
another  is  spoken  to  in  connection  with  a  library  book  he  is 
selecting,  another  is  detained  after  class,  with  another  I  walk 
home  from  church,  and  thus,  without  making  any  attempt 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  187 

at  thorough  probing,  I  come  to  speak  of  eternity,  the  pre- 
ciousness  of  the  soul,  God's  patient  waiting,  our  Saviour's 
tender  love. 

<'  Mr.   L ,  have  you  accepted  the  gracious  offer  of 

pardon  and  salvation?"  ''I  am  sorry  so  say  I  have  not. 
I  often  think  about  such  things,  but  I  would  rather  not 
undertake  to  be  a  Christian  until  I  am  sure  I  can  be  a 
thorough  one,  I  know  so  many  back-sliders." 

"But  the  same  God  who  calls  you,  promises  to  give  all 
the  strength  you  need  ;  it  is  presumption,  not  humility,  to 
wait  until  you  feel  as  if  you  could  carry  on  the  work.  The 
man  with  the  withered  hand  stretched  it  out  at  the  Saviour's 
word,  and  it  was  made  whole." 

Mr.   L 's  reply  to  the  question  is,   ''If  God  wants 

me  to  be  a  Christian,  He  will  make  me  one;  I  can't  be  a 
Christian  of  myself.  When  He  is  ready.  He  will  send  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  convict  me  of  my  sins,  and  I  will  be  all 
right." 

"  Has  God  then  made  man  a  mere  machine?  I  thought 
the  glory  of  man  was  his  free  will  ?  Surely  God  would  not 
mock  us  by  telling  us  to  choose,  to  come  to  Him,  to  turn 
from  our  sins,  if  He  knew,  all  the  while,  that  we  could  not 
do  so?" 

Mr.  K answers  the  same  question  thus  :   ''  Oh,  I  don't 

believe  all  that's  in  the  Bible.  I  think  all  that  about  hell 
has  just  been  put  there  to  frighten  people ;  for  my  part  I 
am  willing  to  trust  to  the  clemency  of  God.  I  am  not  a 
bit  afraid  to  die  !" 

"We  must  take  the  Bible  as  a  whole;  it  is  either  true 
or  false, — if  true,  I  cannot  conceive  of  the  possibility  of  God 
permitting  false  doctrine  to  creep  into  the  revelation  which 
He  has  made  to  mankind  :  all  must  stand  or  fall  together. 
And,  as  to  the  clemency  of  God,  if  you  mean  by  that,  his 
passing  over  sin  without  punishment,  do  you  not  see  that 
such  a  course  would  be  injustice  to  his  un fallen  creatures, 


1 88  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

bring  disorder  and  misrule  into  his  government,  and  totally 
subvert  his  authority  ?  Yet,  after  all,  I  do  not  appeal  to 
you  by  the  terrors  of  hell,  but  by  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who,  in  order  to  save  us  from  it,  suffered  the  awful 
penalty  of  our  transgressions  upon  the  cross." 

These  conversations,  suited  to  the  peculiarities  of  each, 
are  varied  infinitely.  To  one,  religion  is  presented  as  the 
duty  of  man  to  his  Creator,  Benefactor,  Redeemer;  to 
another,  as  the  crown  of  manhood,  lifting  mortals  above 
all  low  and  trivial  aims ;  to  others,  as  the  only  means  of 
escape  from  the  wrath  of  an  offended  God.  Then  comes 
the  appeal  to  seek  the  Lord  with  full  purpose  of  heart,  and 
to  begin  prayer  without  delay.  If  we  are  alone  in  a  quiet 
room,  I  propose  to  pray  with  my  companion,  which  is  gen- 
erally assented  to,  after  which  it  is  seldom  difficult  to  exact 
a  promise  that  he  will  begin  at  once  to  pray  for  himself. 

The  tender  blade  is  springing  up,  and  must  not  be  left 
many  days  to  the  rude  blasts  of  the  world  without  careful 
oversight.  A  brief  visit  often  serves  as  a  reminder  of  the 
promise  to  pray,  and  enables  me  to  exhort  to  serious  and 
earnest  thought,  followed  by  the  invitation, — ''Come  and 
see  me,  so  that  we  may  have  a  long  talk  about  these 
things." 

Poor  fellows!  I  think  you  would  feel  sorry  for  them, 
sometimes,  when  they  find  themselves  seated  for  the  first 
time  in  my  library,  feeling  pleased  and  complimented  by 
the  invitation  to  visit  me,  but  dreading  the  ordeal  before 
them. 

My  visitor  is  an  Englishman,  Mr.   F .     I  show  him 

views  of  England  (especially  of  his  own  part  of  the  coun- 
try), Indian,  and  other  curiosities,  and  at  last  some  Scrip- 
ture prints.  His  embarrassment  is  gone  ;  he  is  happy  and 
at  ease.  The  great  theme  grows  naturally  from  the  print, 
and  thence  follows  an  earnest  conversation,  which  I  may 
say  is  ''  begun,  continued,  and  ended"  in  ejaculatory  prayer; 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  189 

SO  deeply  and  constantly  do  I  feel  the  need  of  the  guidance 
and  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  all  due  tact,  skill, 
delicacy,  and  wisdom  may  be  used  in  drawing  out  the  his- 
tory of  his  early  training,  religious  impressions,  and  efforts, 
with  a  confession  of  the  sins  and  weakness  of  his  character. 
I  have  often  heard  it  said  that  it  is  best  to  have  brief  in- 
terviews with  inquirers,  in  which  duty  is  clearly  laid  down, 
and  the  whole  responsibility  is  thus  thrown  upon  them.  My 
views,  founded  on  experience,  are  totally  different,  for  I 
want  to  learn  all  the  past  history,  and  the  intricacies  of  the 
heart  I  have  to  deal  with  before  attempting  to  'Mieal  its 
hurt." 

Mr.  F has  a  Christian  mother  in  England  to  whom 

he  writes  frequently,  and  whose  letters  are  read  and  re-read 
until  he  knows  them  almost  by  heart.  He  has  always  been 
moral  and  a  church-goer,  but  no  more,  though  he  recog- 
nizes the  importance  of  personal  piety,  and  "expects  to  be 
a  Christian  one  of  these  days,  but  he  thinks  there  is  time 
enough  yet." 

''And  thus  the  best  part  of  your  life  has  been  allowed  to 
slip  away, — a  wasted  life  !  The  great  question  is  not.  Will 
you  have  time  to  repent  at  your  last  hour  and  get  into 
heaven  ?  God  has  made  you  for  his  glory  and  service  here 
and  now,  to  love  Him  with  all  your  heart,  and  to  serve 
Him  with  all  your  powers ;  your  work,  which  no  one  but 
yourself  can  do,  lies  still  untouched.  And  do  you  say 
there  is  '  time  enough  yet'  ?  When  God  commands  you 
to  come  to  Him  now,  do  you  say  to  the  Lord  of  the  uni- 
verse, '  Go  thy  way ;  when  I  have  a  convenient  season  I 
will  send  for  Thee?'  And  above  all,  will  you  keep  closely 
barred  and  locked  the  door  of  your  heart  against  Him,  who, 
with  dyed  garments  and  bleeding  hands  and  feet,  stands 
there  and  knocks?  Think,  too,  of  your  mother's  patient 
waiting,  and  of  her  anxious  prayers  for  you  through  all 
these  years.     Oh,  how  it  would  cheer  her  to  know  that  you 


190  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

had  turned  to  God, — had  accepted  your  Saviour,  and 
entered  upon  a  new  life!" 

Mr.  B once  had  a  Christian  mother.  He  grew  very- 
wild  and  wicked  after  her  death,  and  employed  his  powers 
in  "taking  off"  the  peculiarities  of  ministers,  repeating 
their  sermons  for  the  amusement  of  an  audience  of  mockers 
like  himself.  The  Bible-class  teachings  awakened  him, 
especially  that  incident  in  our  Saviour's  history,  "  the 
soldiers  mocked  Him."  It  was  not  difficult,  in  conversa- 
tion upon  the  sufferings  of  that  most  tender  and  patient 
Saviour,  deeply  to  touch  his  feelings,  and  when  I  suggested 
that  perhaps  his  beloved  mother  had  been  waiting  in  Para- 
dise, with  eager  longing,  to  learn  from  angelic  messengers 
that  her  lost  son  was  found,  he  could  resist  no  longer. 

Mr.  N had   been   worse   than   careless,   dissipated, 

swearing,  drinking,  running  with  fire  companies,  etc.  He 
had  sobered  down  somewhat,  before  I  knew  him,  but  was 
still  entirely  irreligious.  ''  Is  this  the  life  for  a  man  to  live  ? 
for  one  made  in  the  image  of  God,  and  created  to  live 
with  God  forever?  Is  this  the  life  for  one  who  has  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  a  husband  and  father  pressing  upon  him? 
Surely  your  life  was  spared  amid  the  perils  of  war  for  a 
better  and  nobler  purpose  than  this." 

The  interview  is  closed  with  prayer,  for,  as  I  often  say, 
I  would  not  dare  thus  to  deal  with  perishing  souls  without 
praying  for  God's  blessing,  that  He  will  correct  and  over- 
rule all  mistakes;  that  his  Holy  Spirit  will  deepen  any 
good  impression  made,  and  carry  on  his  own  work  in  the 
heart. 

In  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  the  man  thus  appealed  to  and 
prayed  with,  promises  earnestly  and  heartily  to  begin  a  new 
life,  and  when  deeply  interested  and  impressed,  feels  dis- 
posed to  linger  for  more  conversation  ;  but  I  prefer  to  leave 
him  to  his  own  reflections  and  the  teachings  of  special  por- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


191 


tions  of  Scripture,  and  of  some  book  suited  to  his  case, 
which  I  lend  him. 

The  next  conversation  does  not  follow  for  ten  days  or 
two  weeks,  but  every  opportunity  is  embraced  for  a  few 
words  of  encouragement  and  exhortation,  or  a  note  is 
written  for  the  same  end ;  the  proposed  interview  is  some- 
times eagerly  awaited  ;  sometimes  evaded  through  bashfui- 
ness  or  reserve ;  everywhere  real  interest  is  felt,  but  some 
are  prompt  in  devising  methods  for  avoiding  a  renewal  of 
the  subject  which  is  positively  distasteful  to  them. 

I  look  upon  conversation,  at  this  stage,  as  the  most  diffi- 
cult part  of  the  work,  for,  with  most  men,  as  soon  as  any 
beginning  is  made,  the  idea  is  apt  to  spring  up  that  the 
great  change  has  taken  place,  and  that  the  whole  work  is 
done.  In  such  cases,  unless  the  spiritual  plowshare  be 
driven  deeply  into  the  soil  of  the  heart,  unless  there  be  a 
thorough  probing,  the  husbandry  will  be  unsatisfactory. 

"  Mr.  H ,  I  hope  you  have   been  praying,   as   you 

promised  to  do,  and  that  you  are  now  decided  to  be  a  sin- 
cere and  earnest  Christian?" 

"Yes,  I  see  a  great  change  in  me.  I  don't  seem  to  care 
for  those  sins  which  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  committing. 
I  don't  feel  satisfied  unless  I  pray  every  day.  I  like  going 
to  church  and  Bible-class  better  than  anywhere  else,  so  that 
I  long  for  Sunday  to  come ;  and  I  feel  altogether  happier 
than  I  ever  did  before." 

'*  What  makes  you  so  happy?" 

'*I  feel  better  satisfied  with  myself.  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
trying  to  do  my  duty." 

"And  you  think,  perhaps,  that  if  you  keep  on  trying, 
you  will  by-and-by  completely  conquer  all  your  bad  habits 
and  be  a  new  man  ?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so." 

"  Well,  but  what  is  to  become  of  your  past  life?" 

"  Oh,  I  must  leave  all  that  behind,  and  begin  afresh." 


192 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 


"But  see  how  sinful  that  life  has  been.  God's  law 
shows  that  there  is  sin  in  every  idle  word,  in  every  foolish 
thought ;  recall  the  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds  of  sin 
throughout  your  life, — sins  of  childhood,  boyhood,  man- 
hood ;  then  add  to  these,  the  sins  of  omission,  the  count- 
less duties  unperformed,  and  above  all,  that  great  and 
crying  sin  of  unbelief  in  a  crucified  Saviour.  How  in- 
numerable they  are !  How  will  you  give  account  for  one 
of  them,  or  on  what  ground  can  you  look  for  escape  from 
the  punishment  due  to  them?  If,  for  breaking  the  first 
commandment,  and  making  self  or  the  world  your  God, 
you  deserve  punishment,  what  have  you  reason  to  expect, 
when  each  and  every  command  has  been  broken  in  act  or 
in  spirit  ?" 

*'I  never  realized  it  before;  it  is  indeed  dreadful,  but 
God  is  very  merciful,  and  I  think  that  if  I  try  earnestly  for 
the  future,  He  will  overlook  the  past." 

*' You  mean  that  you  hope  the  good  deeds  of  the  future 
will  outweigh  the  evil  deeds  of  the  past?" 

"Yes,  I  hope  so,  by  God's  help;  I  know  I  can  do  no- 
thing without  that." 

"  Well,  supposing  that  for  the  time  to  come,  you  never  sin 
in  thought,  word,  or  deed,  but  live  a  pure  and  spotless  life, 
you  think  that  will  satisfy  God  for  all  your  wrong-doing? 
If  you  hired  a  man  to  work  on  your  farm  for  a  day,  and  he 
spent  six  hours  of  the  day  in  destroying  your  fences,  grain, 
etc.,  or  even  in  sleep,  would  you  be  satisfied  with  his  day's 
work  merely  because  the  last  six  hours  of  the  day  had  been 
faithfully  devoted  to  work?  Or,  if  you  owed  me  one  hun- 
dred dollars,  would  it  be  sufficient  for  you  to  promise  never 
to  run  in  debt  to  me  again  ?" 

"But  it  will  be  impossible  for  you  to  serve  God  without 
fault  for  the  time  to  come,  for  the  holiest  Christians  declare 
that  they  are,  to  the  last  hour  of  life,  '  miserable  sinners,' 
'  doing  what  they  ought  not  to  do,  and  leaving  undone 
what  they  ought  to  do.'  " 


777^/^   SAVnVGS  AND   DOINGS.  193 

''  God  has  a  right  to  perfect  love  and  perfect  obedience 
from  the  first  hour  of  consciousness  to  the  last,  and  it  is  an 
insult  to  Him  to  ask  Him  to  accept  anything  less." 

Oh,  the  thrill  of  joy  which  passes  through  my  whole 
being,  when  the  poor  soul,  thus  driven  from  all  self-de- 
pendence, cries  out  in  its  helplessness,  ''What,  then,  can 
I  do  ?     I  see  no  way  of  escape  ! ' ' 

And  the  eager  delight  with  which  I  hold  up  ''  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  !"  Christ's 
death  upon  the  cross  as  the  ''full,  perfect,  and  sufficient 
sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 

world." 

In  the  course  of  a  week  or  so  we  have  another  talk,  when 
I  generally  find  that  "everything  looks  clearer."  The 
sinner  is  fully  aroused  to  the  hopelessness  of  his  condition 
without  a  Saviour,  is  praying  earnestly  for  pardon  through 
his  blood,  and  "hopes  to  be  forgiven  by-and-by." 

"  Why  do  you  say  by-and-by?  Why  should  you  not  be 
forgiven  now  ?  It  would  be  an  awful  thing  for  you  to  die 
to-night  with  your  load  of  unforgiven  sin ;  where  then 
would  your  soul  be?" 

"  It  could  go  but  to  one  place,  for  I  have  been,  and  am 
still,  a  wretched  sinner." 

"And  yet  you  think  you  will  have  to  waif,  you  know 
not  how  long,  for  pardon?" 

"Yes,  for  I  don't  think  a  man  can  become  a  Christian 
all  at  once.  I  have  been  such  a  great  sinner  that  it  will 
take  time  for  me  to  become  what  I  ought  to  be. ' ' 

"But  you  need  not  wait  until  you  become  better;  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  accept  an  all-sufficient  Saviour,  just  to 
hold  out  your  hand  and  receive  the  '  gift'  of  eternal  life. 
Remember  the  thief  on  the  cross,  and  the  Philippian  jailer. 
They  were  forgiven  the  moment  they  believed,  and  all  that 
the  poor  Israelites  in  the  wilderness  had  to  do  was  to  '  look 
and  live.'  "  I  try  then,  as  clearly  as  possible,  to  explain 
I  17 


194  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

the  difference  between  justification  and  sanctification,  ''be- 
tween the  act  of  faith/'  appropriating  the  finished  work 
of  Christ,  and  thus  making  the  sinner  ''accepted  in  the 
Beloved,"  and  the  gradual  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  sub- 
duing the  corruption  of  the  heart,  and  bringing  the  whole 
man  into  subjection  to  the  law  of  Christ. 

"  Just  as  I  am  \  without  one  plea, 
But  that  thy  blood  was  shed  for  me, 
And  that  thou  bidst  me  come  to  Thee, 
Oh,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come  !" 

The  next  time  I  said,  "Well,  Mr.  A ,  I  hope  you 

have  now  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  your  Saviour." 

"  I  hope  so ;  but  I  don't  know.  I  am  trying  to  believe 
in  Him,  but  I  don't  feel  any  better  yet.  I  can't  say  that 
my  sins  are  forgiven." 

"But  the  Saviour  says  so,  if,  as  a  penitent  sinner,  you 
are  only  willing  to  accept  forgiveness  from  Him." 

"If  my  sins  were  forgiven,  I  should  know  it,  I  should 
feel  happier;  something  in  my  heart  would  tell  me  so. 
The  Bible  says  we  have  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  that  the 
Spirit  is  the  comforter,  etc.;  and  I  have  often  heard  Chris- 
tians say  they  knew  the  day  and  hour  in  which  their  sins 
were^forgiven." 

"  The  Holy  Spirit  does  not  bear  witness  of  his  own  work, 
but  of  Christ's.  'He  shall  testify  of  me,'  and  it  is  thus 
also  that  He  is  the  comforter,  pointing  the  sinner  to  his 
Saviour.  What  God  requires  of  you  is  to  believe;  but  you 
say  you  must  feel.  God  has  given  a  revelation  in  which  He 
assures  you  that '  the  blood  of  jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  all 
sin;'  you  require  a  special  revelation  that  your  sins  are 
forgiven.  Do  you  not  see  the  unbelief  and  presumption  of 
which  you  are  guilty?" 

"  Perhaps  I  am  wrong,  yet  could  not  God  instantly  put 
into  a  man's  mind  the  assurance  of  pardon?" 


THEIR   SA  YINGS  AND   DOINGS,  195 

"Of  course;  but  in  the  first  place  you  must  believe. 
He  does  not  ask  you  '  to  have  faith  in  your  faith,  but  faith 
in  Him,'  and  surely  you  have  no  faith  in  Him  so  long  as 
you  ask  any  other  assurance  than  his  simple  word.  You 
believe  every  word  I  speak,  and  almost  every  word  you 
read  in  histories,  books  of  travel,  and  even  in  newspapers ; 
but  when  the  '  God,  who  cannot  lie,'  speaks,  you  will  not 
believe  Him.  Only  consent  to  put  your  hand  in  Christ's 
hand,  and  you  are  safe.  This  is  the  first  indispensable 
step^ — the  peace  and  comfort  of  it  will  follow  in  due  time. 
The  drowning  man  has  only  enough  strength  to  climb  into 
the  life-boat,  but  because  he  lies  exhausted  and  fainting  in 
the  bottom  of  the  boat,  quite  unconscious  of  his  safety,  is 
he  the  less  safe?" 

Such  cases  as  this  call  for  every  variety  of  persuasive 
illustration  to  counteract  the  erroneous  ideas  picked  up  at 

revivals. 

The  same  close  following  up  is  necessary  long  after  a 
public  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  has  been  made.  One 
young  man  thought  "  his  prayers  so  cold,  he  had  better  not 
mock  God  any  longer,"  and  had  discontinued  prayer  for 
three  weeks ;  another  had  drank  too  much ;  another  had 
sworn  an  oath  when  suddenly  provoked,  and  both  thought 
it  ''  useless  for  them  to  try  to  be  Christians."  Another  had 
to  endure  so  much  home  persecution,  that  he  found  his 
''mind  too  distracted"  to  approach  the  Lord's  table,  and 
had  been  absent  several  months.  All  these,  and  scores 
besides,  have  been  induced,  by  cheering  and  earnest  words, 
with  fervent  and  united  prayer,  to  begin  again,  and  can 
now  praise  God  for  the  strength  which  faith  gains  by  ex- 
perience, and  the  closer  clinging  to  a  Saviour,  to  which  a 
realization  of  their  own  sinfulness  and  weakness  has  led. 

I  have  not  said  anything  of  my  discouragements,  but 
these  are  many  and  great ;  how  could  it  be  otherwise  if  the 
teacher  is  to  ''  walk  by  faith,  not  by  sight,"  and  is  to  deal 


196  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

with  men  who  are  immersed  in  irreligion,  and  estranged 
from  the  Church  ? 

The  rector  of  the  parish  evinces  the  deepest  interest  in 
this  department  of  his  work,  but  it  would  be  utterly  un- 
reasonable to  expect  him,  already  overtasked,  to  give  the 
time  required  to  watch  over  the  spiritual  fluctuations  of 
men  who  are  striving  to  overcome  long-cherished  evil 
habits,  and  are  endeavoring  to  resist  the  unholy  influences 
of  former  companions.  Even  in  such  cases  there  is  abun- 
dant encouragement,  where  the  minister  and  the  teacher, 
aided  by  the  more  stable  members  of  the  class,  watch  over 
these  adult  babes  in  Christ,  and  make  them  cordially  wel- 
come at  appropriate  public  services  in  the  Church. 


PORTABLE   FIRE   EXTINGUISHER. 

In  Scripture,  the  devouring  flame  is  used  to  illustrate  the 
burning  of  lustful  desires  in  the  human  heart  when  unre- 
strained by  grace,  and  God's  Word  also  testifies  that  the 
profane  tongue  is  "set  on  fire  of  hell." 

The  fearful  increase  of  licentiousness  and  profanity,  and 
the  alienation  from  God  caused  thereby,  have  induced 
many  Christians  to  search  prayerfully  for  some  successful 
mode  of  applying  the  only  antidote  for  moral  and  spiritual 
ills. 

The  "worldly  wise"  do  not  say  that  burning  property  is 
only  to  be  saved  by  taking  it  to  a  stationary  fire-engine, 
neither  do  they  rest  satisfied  by  conveying  water  through 
every  street;  the  utmost  powers  of  man  are  taxed  to  speed 
costly  and  powerful  engines  to  each  fire  as  soon  as  it  is  dis- 
covered. With  all  this  cost  of  time  and  money,  and  of 
life  also,  it  has  become  apparent  that  fires  must  be  attacked 


THEIR   SAVINGS  AND   DOINGS.  ig'j 

before  they  gain  any  headway,  that  commerce  and  manu- 
factures be  not  checked  by  their  increasing  prevalence  and 
destructiveness.    The  necessity  for  a  better:  and  more  porta- 
ble fire  extinguisher  has  so  stimulated  the  inventive  faculty, 
that  the  following^announcement  has  recently  been  made, 
and  its  truth  proved  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  most 
skeptical.     "  The  Portable  Fire  Extinguisher  is  always 
ready  for  use,  it  puts  out  fire  instantly,  is  effective  in  the 
hands  of  inexperienced  persons,  possesses  the  power  of  a 
force-pump  and  is  the  only  known  invention  that  will  ex- 
tinguish burning  oils  of  a  very  inflammable  character." 
This  apparatus  consists  of  a  small  sheet- iron  can,  filled  with 
water,  into  which  two  ingredients  are  introduced  that  gen- 
erate carbonic  acid  gas,  and  forcibly  eject  this  combination 
of  gas  and  water  in  any  direction  that  the  carrier  indicates. 
The  primitive   Church  freely  used    portable  fire  extin- 
guishers, for  it  is  written  that  all  Christians  of  every  age 
and  condition    (except    the  Apostles)    ''went  everywhere 
preaching   the   word."     In   that    day  every  human   heart, 
when  charged  by  the  Holy  Spirit  with  the  love  that  was  set 
free  on  Calvary,  recognized  its  "stewardship  of  the  mani- 
fold grace  of  God,"  and  no  more  thought  of  exemption 
from  personal  service  because  of  apostolic  supervision  and 
leadership  than  the  soldier  does  because  he  is  ably  com- 
manded.    During  the  last  seven  years,  several  rectors  and 
chaplains  have  fully  tested  the  almost  miraculous  power  of 
this  primitive  portable  fire  extinguisher,  but  they  could  not 
give  public  exhibitions,  as  the  operators  are  refined,  self- 
distrustful  women,  and  their  chief  sphere  of  operation  is  in 
the  homes  of  the  working  people  or  alone  with  the  individ- 
ual sinner.     At  the  solicitation  of  Bishop  Bedell,  records 
of  a  few  experiments  made  at  four  different  points,  by  six 
Christian  women,  have  been  published  in  The  Spirit  of 
Missions,  already  resulting  in  a  demand  for  such  trained 


198  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

workers  far  beyond  the  supply,  and  also  for  specific  infor- 
mation to  aid  in  their  training. 

When  each  parish  church  returns  to  primitive  usage,  and 
engages  in  the  preparation  of  all  communicants  for  their 
legitimate  work,  infidelity  will  not  have  soil  enough  left  to 
thrive  in. 

The  benefits  resulting  to  mothers  and  children  from  the 
recent  use  of  this  primitive  agency,  have  caused  men  long 
under  the  blighting  influence  of  infidelity,  to  ask  if  nothing 
was  to  be  done  for  them.  That  inquiry  has,  under  God's 
gracious  guidance,  wrought  some  of  the  greatest  advantages 
to  the  working  class  that  our  Church  has  ever  witnessed. 

Inexperienced  readers  of  the  following  paper  will  natu- 
rally ask  why  a  poor  woman  was  allowed  to  struggle  so 
hard  with  insufficient  clothing ;  the  reply  is,  experience  has 
proven  that,  with  an  intemperate  husband,  the  last  spark 
of  self-respect  must  be  cherished,  or  the  result  will  be  far 
worse  than  any  present  discomfort.  W. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  wondered  much  of  late  whether 
church-going  Christian  people  ever  consider  what  hinders 
persons  in  the  humbler  walks  of  life  from  coming  within 
sound  of  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  as  officially  pro- 
claimed from  the  pulpit. 

In  my  visits  to  the  homes  of  some  members  of  our 
mothers'  meeting,  I  have  learned  to  be  very  thankful  for 
my  religious  privileges.  I  see  their  many  trials  and  mani- 
fold cares,  cares  which  have  no  lift-up,  no  let-go,  night  or 
day,  and  which  confine  them  to  one  spot ;  often  it  is  a 
home  over  which  hang  low  and  dark  the  mists  of  sin  and 
ignorance,  where  at  times  poverty  stands  at  the  door  and 
hunger  sits  on  the  hearth-stone.  Still,  it  is  their  home, — the 
place  where  their  little  ones  first  opened  their  eyes  to  behold 
the  light,  and  where  perhaps  one,  whose  voice  still  lingers 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  199 

in  the  chambers  of  memory,  may  have  been  rocked  to  sleep 
for  the  last  time. 

Come  with  me  to  the  home  of  one  of  the  members  of  our 
mothers'  meeting,  and  let  us  see  her  opportunities  for  at- 
tendance upon  the  regular  services  of  God's  house.  We 
see  a  woman  who  was  early  trained  in  the  Church ;  who  at 
one  time  taught  a  Sunday-school  class.  At  seventeen  she 
married  a  laboring  man,  who,  in  good  times,  earned  one 
dollar  per  day.  Now,  at  the  age  of  forty,  they  have  nine 
children.  The  husband  has  never  been  more  than  he  was 
at  first,  a  common  working  man,  getting  employment  here, 
there,  and  anywhere ;  and  in  dull  times,  for  weeks,  and 
sometimes  months,  he  will  have  no  work  at  all.  They  can- 
not starve  ;  upon  whom  then  falls  the  burden  ?  The  mother. 
To  her  housework  and  the  care  of  her  children  she  must 
add  the  labor  of  supporting  them  through  these  dull  times. 
She  must  take  in  washing  or  go  out  and  find  work,  perhaps 
in  the  mill, — a  long  day  of  toil  with  heart  and  mind  upon 
those  at  home.  At  evening,  and  far  into  the  night,  the 
many  little  nameless  things  must  be  done,  and  many  weary 
stitches  be  taken  that  the  family  may  be  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  Is  it  strange  when  the  one  day  of  rest  comes 
around,  that  this  overworked  mother  should  find  it  difficult 
to  do  else  than  sit  about  the  door  ?  Then,  their  narrow  in- 
come barely  finds  them  in  what  keeps  body  and  soul  to- 
gether. How  is  the  mother  able  to  keep  the  little  ones  in 
shoes  and  in  the  plainest  clothing,  to  appear  decently 
habited  in  God's  house  or  the  Sunday-school  ?  She  pro- 
vides for  herself  last,  and  it  is  indeed  a  slender  provision. 
During  the  winter,  for  many  years,  she  has  worn  but  two 
garments,  and  neither  of  them  warm.  How  can  this 
mother  receive  instruction,  how  get  that  wisdom  which  we 
all  so  much  need,  without  which,  under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances,  we  fail  in  our  duty  as  wives  and  mothers? 
Add  to  all  her  other  troubles,  the  wine  cup  which  bites  like 


200  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

a  serpent  and  stings  like  an  adder.  Perhaps  you  now  with- 
draw much  of  your  sympathy  and  are  ready  to  exclaim, 
"Here,  they  are  eating  the  fruit  of  their  own  gathering." 
I  answer,  "  Nay,  they  are  reaping  the  fruits  of  your  negli- 
gence, fellow  Christian,  and  of  the  coldness  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church."  The  precious  gospel  must  be  carried  to 
these  blind  ones ;  we  must  show  them  how  to  arise  from 
death  that  Christ  may  give  them  light.  In  this  way  the 
disciples  of  our  Lord  alone  can  fulfil  his  command  :  "  Go 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

Our  mothers'  meeting  has  wrought  after  this  manner, 
and  God  has  abundantly  blessed  the  efforts  of  those  into 
whose  hearts  it  entered,  a  few  years  ago,  to  take  light  and 
sunshine  into  the  homes  of  our  laboring  people. 

As  I  talked  to  a  weary  mother  to-day,  who  had  been  out 
washing,  and,  instead  of  resting,  was  obliged  to  hold  a  fret- 
ful baby  on  her  lap,  I  thought  it  was  no  wonder  she  had 
let  many  years  roll  on  in  entire  neglect  of  her  soul. 

''  Lizzie,"  I  said,  "  are  you  coming  to-night  to  mothers' 
meeting?"  ''Yes,"  she  replied,  "I  hope  to,  for  I  am  not 
fit  to  go  to  church ;  I  have  not  been  able  to  get  a  clean 
calico  dress  for  a  good  while,  and  baby  is  so  troublesome, 
I  do  not  like  to  leave  her  with  her  father.  I  sometimes  am 
frightened  at  the  thought  of  how  very  little  I  know  about 
things  I  ought  to  know,  and  yet,  I  cannot  help  it."  I  re- 
plied, "Lizzie,  it  is  a  sweet  comfort  to  knov/  that  God 
does  not  exact  more  of  his  children  than  they  can  do.  I 
do  not  want  you  to  relax  your  efforts  to  get  to  church  on 
Sunday,  but  if  you  will  come  to  mothers'  meeting  and  join 
in  the  worship  there,  and  if  you  will  have  prayers  at  home 
and  teach  the  children,  and  send  as  many  of  them  as  you 
can  to  Sunday-school,  God  will  not  forget  you  in  your  low 
estate.  Let  me  read  you  one  of  his  promises :  '  Who  is 
among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice 
of  his  servants,  that  walketh  in  darkness  and  hatti  no  light? 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  201 

Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  stay  upon  his 
God.'"  ''Oh,  I  do  now  try  to  trust,  but  I  am  often 
tempted  to  give  up  and  live  in  my  old,  ugly  disposition; 
when  I  feel  this  way  I  look  back  to  the  time  when  I  first 
put  on  my  hood  and  shawl  and  went  to  mothers'  meeting. 
That  was  a  good  night  for  my  soul.  Your  prayers  with  us 
and  the  books  you  have  left  with  us,  have  helped  us  many 
times.  We  talk,  grandmother  and  I,  of  your  lessons  when 
you  are  gone,  and  say  we  will  try  and  look  to  God  again." 
"Do  you  still  have  family  prayers,  Lizzie?"  I  inquired. 
"  No,  not  often  when  Henry  is  with  us,"  she  replied;  '*  he 
will  not  be  steady,  but  I  bring  the  children  around  me, 
sometimes  we  sing  and  all  pray,  even  little  Tody  here  says, 
'God  bless  the  lady  mamma  likes.'  "  "Lizzie,  you  were 
taught  to  pray  when  a  child?"  "  Ah  !  yes,  indeed  I  was." 
And  tears  stole  down  this  poor  woman's  face  as  memory  re- 
called a  love  not  to  be  forgotten,  and  words  spoken  by  a 
mother.  She  was  trying  to  grope  her  way  back  to  her 
Father's  arms,  but  how  is  this  feeble  longing  after  a  better  life 
to  gain  strength  when  she  is  immersed  in  sin  and  ignorance  ? 

We  study  God's  word  to  be  guided, — we  go  to  God's 
house  to  be  instructed  and  to  engage  in  its  beautiful  ser- 
vice for  our  souls'  growth.  But  this  poor  woman  of  whom 
I  speak  must  remain  at  home;  there,  are  her  children; 
there,  her  duties  claim  her  presence;  and  if,  perchance, 
she  could  leave  these,  she  could  seldom  be  fitly  clad  to  go 
into  God's  house.  Or  perhaps  she  is  wearied  and  out  of 
spirit,  for  all  the  night  before  she  had  watched  and  waited 
the  return  of  her  husband,  who  now  lies  in  a  drunken  sleep. 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  bring  life  and  immortality 
to  light,  and  to  Christians  He  has  said,  "Let  your  light 
shine. "      "  Go  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature. ' ' 

When  we  go  out  from  our  pleasant  dwellings,  passing  by 
the  door  of  our  less  favored  sisters,  shall  we  forget  that 
Jesus  bids  us  "To  open  the  blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the 


-02     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

prisoners  from  the  prison,  and  them  that  sit  in  darkness  out 
of  the  prison  house"  ? 

One  mother  said  to  me,  ''What  a  blessing  I  have  found 
the  mothers'  meeting  to  be  !  I  have  lived  in  spiritual  cold- 
ness for  years,  though  once  a  regular  communicant. "  Here 
another  fact  presents  itself  which  should  awaken  us  to  our 
obligations,  the  duty  we  owe  Chrisf  s  scattered  sheep.  The 
people  in  that  class  of  life  are  a  floating  population.  Owing 
to  the  fluctuations  in  trade,  they  are  driven  from  town  to 
town,  often  from  State  to  State;  and,  not  a  few,  from  one 
country  to  another.  The  American  people  understand  the 
word  emigration  from  practical  experience  of  its  meaning. 
This  woman  of  whom  I  speak,  had  changed  her  residence 
six  times  since  her  marriage, — each  time  traveling  over 
the  country  hundreds,  sometimes  thousands  of  miles.  Her 
husband  was  an  irreligious  man,  and  when,  soon  after  their 
marriage,  she  spoke  to  him  about  their  obligations  to  God, 
he  was  much  vexed  with  her.  At  the  time  I  spoke  to  her, 
she  had  four  children  ;  cares  had  accumulated,  and  coming 
into  a  new  place  where  she  saw  no  one  that  she  knew,  she 
had  gradually  got  into  the  habit  of  not  going  beyond  her 
own  door.  When  I  first  visited  her,  the  youngest  child 
had  not  been  baptized,  because  she  felt  so  strange  and alofte 
in  the  church.  She  had  gone  there  several  times,  but  no 
one  spoke  to  her,  and  she  returned  to  her  home  after  each 
service  feeling  lonely,  and  not  anxious  to  pass  through  the 
same  experience  on  the  following  Sunday.  But  the  moth- 
ers' meeting  made  her  acquainted  with  many  about  the 
church.  The  lady  Principal  had  instructed  her  as  to  her 
duty  to  her  child,  and  now  she  only  waited  to  hear 
announced  the  day  for  infant  baptism.  She  was  very 
happy  on  Thursday  evenings,  when  she  had  an  opportunity 
to  run  from  home,  in  her  working  clothes,  wrapping  up 
baby  to  take  him  with  her, — to  sing  again  the  hymns  of  her 
childhood.     There  she  read  and  sang  the  same  dear  words 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  203 

which  (tossed  about  in  America  as  she  had  been  so  long) 
she  had  begun  to  think  she  would  never  sing  again  with  a 
light  heart. 

"Oh,"  she  remarked  on  one  occasion,  "if  this  would 
only  be  done  for  us  everywhere  we  go,  how  many  of  us 
would  do  better !  Every  third  Friday  I  look  for  you  to 
come,  and  sometimes  wonder  if  you  will  just  hit  on  what  I 
want." 

"Why,  Mary,"  I  replied,  "why  do  you  not  tell  me 
what  you  want,  what  you  would  like  me  to  read  or  talk 
about,  or  pray  for?" 

"Oh,  there  is  often  no  use;  last  time  you  were  here,  I 
felt  so  dead  and  couldn't  pray.  Don't  you  know  what  you 
read  to  me?" 

"No,"  I  replied,  "I  do  not,  I  have  read  so  much  since." 

"  You  read,  '  Restore  unto  me  the  joy  of  thy  salvation.' 
You  told  me  how  David  mourned  over  his  separation  from 
God,  how  weary  he  was  apart  from  God ;  how,  if  a  little 
lamb  wandered  out  of  the  fold,  pitiful  indeed  was  its  cry. 
I  felt  then  just  like  that  sheep,  and  I  prayed  that  prayer  of 
David,  and  God  did  give  me  joy  again.  It  is  so  happy  to 
know  that  Mrs.  and  you  will  not  forget  us.  My  hus- 
band never  would  go  to  church  before,  and  now  he  comes 

from  Mrs.  's  Bible-class  and  talks  her  lessons  all  over 

on  Sunday  evening.      He  told  me  he  would  not  go  to  that 

class,  but  Mrs.  has   turned   him  right  'round.     He 

laughed  about  being  shut  up  in  a  corner  and  made  to  say 
yes.  He  reads  the  Bible,  and  does  not  find  so  much  fault 
with  it  as  he  used  to." 

"You  told  me,  Mary,  that  his  violent  temper  was  hard 
to  bear  with  at  times." 

"  Well,  I  have  tried  not  to  notice  it ;  I  know  he  does  not 
really  mean  unkindness,  and  if  he  gets  to  be  a  Christian,  I 
know  God  will  help  him  to  overcome  it." 

Another  woman  who  came  to  this  country,  went  once  to 


204 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


our  church,  and  because  all  seemed  so  indifferent  and  cold, 
she  determined  to  go  to  the  Methodists ;  and  did  go,  and 
continued  going  up  to  the  time  she  was  visited  by  a  lady 
from  the  mothers'  meeting.  She  was  delighted  with  the 
mothers'  meeting.  I  asked  her  to  go  to  our  free  service, 
where  she  would  be  cordially  welcomed.  She  tried  it,  and 
has  over  and  over  again  regretted  that  she  ever  strayed 
away  from  her  Church,  and  is  thankful  to  those  who  would 
take  so  much  trouble  as  to  come  into  her  house  and  urge 
her  to  go  with  her  children  to  worship.  Sometimes  this 
gentle,  earnest  woman,  so  easily  led  in  the  right  way,  says 
to  me,  ''Read  until  you  feel  tired,  I  have  so  little  time. 
I  snatch  up  the  Bible  (for  I  keep  it  handy  now,  I  won't  let 
it  be  far  awayj  and  just  read  a  word  sometimes ;  but  when 
you  come,  then  I  think  I  shall  hear  so  much,  I  shall  learn 

another  good  lesson.     Oh,  Mrs. ,  you  cannot  tell  how 

rested  it  makes  me  !  I  stop  all  work  and  forget  all  care, 
and  when  you  are  gone,  I  say,  that  was  a  blessing,  if  I  can- 
not get  out  much,  I  shall  learn  in  this  way." 

For  a  long  time  I  made  it  a  point  with  a  few  of  my 
women  who  leaned  upon  me  very  much  for  instruction,  to 
try  to  be  at  their  houses  on  the  same  day  of  the  week  each 
month,  because  they  looked  forward  to  it,  and  dwelt  upon 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  me,  and  this  was  a  little  bright  spot 
to  them.  We  all  know  what  pleasure  there  is  in  anticipa- 
tion. One  woman  always  met  me  at  the  door,  bright  and 
happy.  One  day  she  said,  ''I  have  been  singing,  so  the 
time  would  pass  soon.  I  did  not  get  to  mothers'  meeting 
last  night.  John  went  out,  and  I  would  not  leave  the  chil- 
dren, and  I  was  so  disappointed,  for  it  is  the  only  time  I 
leave  home.     Wasn't  it  selfish  in  John,  Mrs.  ?" 

''  Well,"  I  replied,  ''I  do  not  know  what  took  him  out, 
— at  all  events,  I  hope  you  did  not  tell  him  he  was  selfish  ?" 

''I  told  him  he  was  mean  to  take  my  night  merely  to 
hear  a  Mason  speak." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  205 

*'That  may  not  occur  again  for  a  long  time,"  I  said. 
"Perhaps  he  might  have  thought ^y^//  selfish,  to  want  to  de- 
prive him  of  that  relaxation,  after  his  hard  day's  work. 
Remember  a  wife  is  expected  to  be  unselfish,  Eliza;  some 
husbands  will  never  stay  at  home  with  the  children." 

"  But  I  was  so  disappointed." 

"I  have  no  doubt,"  I  said,  ''but  you  know  Mrs.  

tells  us  mothers'  meeting  should  make  us  all  better  wives 
and  mothers.  Your  husband  will  not  think  much  of  our 
meeting,  if,  in  anywise  through  it,  he  finds  you  less  patient 
or  less  willing  to  sacrifice  your  personal  gratification  for 
your  family;  and  then,  Eliza,  you  know  you  will  have  to 
remain  at  home.  You  do  not  wish  to  quarrel  with  your 
husband,  and  is  it  not  better  to  submit  cheerfully?  for  that 
keeps  him  in  a  good  humor,  and  saves  you  a  vast  deal  of 
unhappiness.  If  my  husband  is  dissatisfied  with  me  from 
any  cause,  I  always  feel  uncomfortable,  and  I  suppose  in  this 
all  wives  are  alike." 

"Now,  I  see  you  know  all  about  it,  you  are  right,"  she 
replied.  "John  was  angry  with  me,  and  I  wished  this 
morning  I  had  just  kept  quiet,  for  neither  of  us  had  a 
cheerful  breakfast.  I  will  remember  and  do  as  you  say  next 
time.     I'll  just  say,  'John,  go,'  and  I  will  help  him  off." 

I  remarked  that  I  tried  to  visit  some  on  the  same  day  of 
the  month,  but  there  are  others  whom  it  is  well  to  come 
upon  unawares, — those  whom  you  desire  to  instruct  in 
tidiness  or  neatness,  or  who  are  noisy  and  quarrelsome.  I 
have  sometimes  quietly  opened  a  door  and  looked  in  upon 
mother,  daughter,  and  granddaughter  in  the  midst  of  an 
angry  dispute,  in  the  heat  of  the  moment  ready  to  strike 
each  other.  If  I  am  well  known  and  loved  by  the  family, 
I  am  glad  to  come  at  such  a  time.  I  cautiously  refrain 
from  taking  the  side  of  either;  but  when  they  are  calm, 
show  them  how  frail  we  all  are  by  nature,  and  that  God, 
knowing  our  frailties,  sent  his  only  Son  to  bear  these,  our 

18 


2o6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

infirmities,  and  offer  us  his  strength.  I  have  one  woman 
whose  hot  temper  often  makes  all  about  her  very  miserable. 
On  one  occasion  I  visited  her  house  when  she  had  put  her 
husband's  mother  out-of-doors.  She  told  me  freely  all 
she  had  done,  and  added,  *'  I  am  ashamed  to  let  you  know, 
but  I  will  not  hide  it,  for  you  know  all  my  troubles."  I 
opened  the  Bible  and  read,  '■'■  He  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities."  ''All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray."  She 
was  melted  into  tears,  and  said,  ''Oh,  how  wicked  I  am! 
will  God  forgive  me,  for  Christ's  sake?  I  wanted  you  to 
come.  I  thought  you  could  say  something  to  help  me.  I 
could  not  go  to  church,  and  it  seemed  so  gloomy  every- 
where." 

I  said,  ''  Margaret,  if  we  confess  our  sins,  God  is  faithful 
and  just  to  forgive  us.  You  must  humble  yourself  under 
the  mighty  hand  of  God."  I  wanted  to  see  how  far  her 
sorrow  was  a  godly  sorrow.  I  said,  "What  of  grand- 
mother,— have  you  confessed  your  fault  to  her?"  ''  No,  she 
is  next  door,  and  will  not  speak  to  me,"  she  replied.  *'  I 
am  not  surprised,  for  it  requires  considerable  grace  to  speak 
to  one  who  has  turned  us  out-of-doors.  Will  you  go  and 
ask  her  to  come  home?"  "  Yes.  if  you  will  go  with  me." 
We  stepped  to  the  door,  I  called  grandmother,  and  we  all 
went  into  Margaret's  house.  I  prayed  with  them,  and  left 
them  reconciled,  each  feeling  her  own  share  of  the  sin. 
Thus,  practically,  must  we  teach  these  people.  Line  upon 
line,  must  the  instruction  be  given  in  homes  such  as  these, 
and  in  their  homes  alone  can  it  be  done,  and  by  one  who 
knows  all  the  family  failings  and  difficulties, — by  one  who 
can  sympathize  with  a  mother  in  her  daily  and  hourly  vexa- 
tions,— one  who  has  also  struggled  against  similar  infirmities ; 
or  who,  at  least,  is  anxious  for  their  soul's  good,  and  for 
their  happiness.  Such  persons  as  the  above  (and  our  par- 
ishes, and  cities,  and  towns  are  crowded  with  them)  are 
cut  off  from  the  privileges  of  the  Christian  Church,  by  the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  207 

force  of  circumstances.  Again,  there  are  others  who  are 
ignorant  of  the  ways  of  our  beautiful  Zion,  because  of  their 
early  training  and  prejudices.  For  instance,  I  have  had 
under  my  care  a  woman  who  had  been,  when  quite  a  child, 
placed  in  a  family  of  Friends,  who  understood,  ''Keep 
holy  the  Sabbath-day,"  to  consist  in  a  quiet  and  cleanly 
house.  Accordingly,  all  the  fifteen  years  of  her  married 
life  she  had  attired  herself  on  God's  day  in  her  neat,  plain 
gown,  and  had  all  the  family  behave  in  a  very  proper  and 
friendly  way. 

It  was  months  before  I  could  talk  her  out  of  her  very 
strong  prejudices  against  our  liturgy.  She  came  to  the 
mothers'  meeting,  and  her  regular  and  orderly  training 
made  her  a  very  constant  attendant.  Then  I  got  her  to  go 
to  the  free  service  and  the  afternoon  Bible-class.  These 
she  liked  very  much,  and  gradually  became  interested  in 
the  Church ;  yet  held  to  her  own  notion  that  all  form  was 
unnecessary,  and  that  the  still,  small  voice  must  be  the  guide 
of  our  lives.  I  admitted  the  power  and  blessing  of  that 
faithful  monitor,  but  asked  her  one  day,  "  Caroline,  whilst 
you  listen  to  and  obey  the  voice,  you  also  understand  that 
God  sent  his  Son  into  this  world  and  called  Him  Coun- 
selor. We  follow  the  advice  and  direction  of  one  who 
counsels  us.  He  said  repent  and  h^  baptized.'^  "But  I 
think  that  is  a  spiritual  baptism,"  was  her  reply.  ''  If  Christ 
had  intended  only  the  inward  cleansing,  do  you  think  He 
would  have  set  us  the  example  by  being  himself  baptized 
in  Jordan?  Christ  also  said  we  must  let  the  world  see  our 
light,  not  hide  it.  If  you  believe  in  the  Son  of  God,  why 
not  let  the  world,  lying  in  sin  and  darkness,  know  it,  and 
perhaps  thereby  lead  others  who  do  not  believe  at  all,  to 

think  of  and  seek  '  the  way  to  heaven'  ?"  "  Well,  Mrs. , 

I  should  like  to  know  more  and  hear  more,  for  I  am  a  poor 
reader  myself."  ''Caroline,  will  you  go  and  talk  to  our 
pastor?     You  will  find  him  very  kind."     I  knew  this  was 


2o8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

asking  much,  for  she  was  of  a  very  sensitive,  shrinking  dis- 
position. She  flatly  refused  ;  saying,  for  me  she  could  do 
a  great  deal,  but  to  go  and  talk  to  a  77iinister  about  herself, 
she  could  not ;  she  thought  she  could  be  good  at  home. 

Thus  matters  remained  for  some  time.  I  visited  her 
constantly,  read  with  her,  admired  her  very,  very  cleanly 
house,  asked  her  at  times  for  a  piece  of  bread,  when  I  was 
hungry  and  tired  from  too  long  walking.  It  could  be  eaten 
with  an  appetite,  for  everything  about  her  looked  so  clean 
and  comfortable.  A  nice,  bright  stove,  spotless  carpet, 
clean  windows,  door-sills,  porch,  and  bricks  looking  as 
though  water  had  but  just  dried  upon  them.  It  pleased  her 
very  much  when  I  sat  down  and  ate  anything  she  so  cheer- 
fully prepared.  In  this  way  we  got  very  intimate.  She 
told  me  all  her  troubles  and  her  life  changes,  and  at  every 
visit  requested  me  to  read  to  her.  God  gave  the  increase 
in  his  own  good  time.  Though  it  was  to  smite,  it  was  also 
to  bind  up.  Her  eldest  son,  a  boy  of  eleven  years,  was 
suddenly  taken  from  her.  During  this  affliction,  she  learned 
that  *'The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him, 
and  that  He  will  show  them  his  covenant."  It  was  hard 
for  her  to  make  known  the  state  of  her  mind  to  the  rector, 
but  she  could  tell  her  visitor  anything.  I  promised  to  go 
with  her ;  she  wanted  me  to  promise  to  stay  by  her  and  talk 
for  her,  as  I  knew  all  about  her.  I  knew  I  could  not  do 
that,  but  at  length  took  her  into  the  rector's  room,  intro- 
duced and  left  her.  She  was  an  entire  stranger  to  him. 
The  deacon  had  visited  her  during  her  affliction ;  the 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school  had  called  on  her 
twice,  and  the  Principal  of  our  mothers'  meeting,  often ; 
but  apart  from  these,  she  was  a  stranger  in  our  church,  both 
to  minister  and  people.  The  rector  was  pleased  with  her 
simple  trust  in  the  Saviour,  and  deemed  her  prepared  for 
baptism.  I  spent  some  time  in  explaining  the  liturgy  and 
ordinances  of  the  Church.     It  was  a  happy  day  when  I 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  209 

Stood  with  her,  a  witness  of  the  surrender  of  her  soul  unto 
God  ;  through  repentance  and  baptism  made  a  member  of 
Christ,  united  to  his  visible  Church,  thereafter  to  be  a  par- 
taker of  its  high  and  blessed  privileges. 

This  is  one  instance  of  a  very  large  number  of  persons 
brought  under  my  observation,  who,  not  purposely,  but 
ignorantly  remain  outside  of  the  gate  of  the  Temple. 
^  Who  is  to  blame  that  this  woman  was  so  long  cut  off 
from  the  ordinances  of  the  Church?  and  that  others  like 
her  do  not  drink  of  the  river  of  life,  and  are  not  praising 
God  in  his  Holy  Church?  The  white  field  waits  for  the 
reapers.  Christ  said,  ' '  Gather  with  me. "  The  sickle  will 
not  move  when  the  reaper  stays  his  stand.  As  Abraham 
entreated  for  the  cities  of  the  plain,  so  let  us,  as  individual 
followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  labor  and  intercede  for  those 
lying  in  darkness  at  our  very  doors. 

'  A  family  moved  into  our  town  some  time  since,  the  father 
having  a  high  position  in  one  of  the  factories.     They  were 
far  above  the  general  class  of  people  we  visit.     I  was  in  the 
habit  of  going  through  the  mill ;    and,  on  one  occasion, 
seeing  the  son  of  the  person  I  speak  of,  a  lad  of  sixteen,  I 
used  him  to  gain  an  acquaintance  with  the  family ;  and 
asked  him  to  join  a  class  of  young  men  at  the  church.     I 
was  introduced  to  the  father,  who  urged  the  son  to  comply 
with  ray  request,  saying,  ''  I  do  not  often  go  to  any  place 
of  worship  myself,  yet  still  I  like  my  family  to  go."     I  in- 
quired after  the  family,  and  found  they  had  a  babe  born  on 
the  same  day  as  my  own.    I  playfully  called  them  twins,  and 
received  an  invitation  to  come  and  see  it ;  this  being  what 
I  wanted,  of  course  I  thanked  him  and  promised  to  do  so. 
I  went,  found  the  mother  pleasant  and  kind,  the  little  ones 
unusually  attractive.      With  them  lived  the  grandparents 
on  both  sides.     They  were  English,  and  had  a  birthright 
in  the  Church.      One  grandmother  was  a  communicant, 
her  husband  a  backslider.     The  other  old  people  were  both 


2IO  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

living  in  an  entirely  careless  manner;  the  man  was  an 
habitual  drunkard;  the  woman  very  ignorant;  unable  to 
read  or  write,  and  caring  for  nothing  beyond  her  daughter's 
family.  The  mother  had  often  been  led  by  the  Spirit  to 
long  after  a  higher  life,  but  the  cares  of  her  large  family 
and  the  effect  of  early  influences,  kept  her,  as  it  were,  bound 
hand  and  foot.  The  father,  a  handsome,  intelligent, 
gentlemanly  man,  had  failed  to  see  anything  beautiful  in 
the  holy  gospel,  was  a  good  father  and  faithful  husband, 
but  had  withheld  from  his  family  the  untold  blessing  of  a 
family  altar.  From  early,  pernicious  influences  he  had 
almost  learned  to  dislike  the  name  of  religion.  By  them  I 
was  introduced  to  a  brother,  his  wife  and  family,  who  also 
had  come  into  the  village  to  live,  none  of  them  church-goers. 
Most  of  the  children  had  been  baptized.  I  urged  upon 
them  to  bring  the  baby  to  baptism,  and  persuaded  the 
brother  and  wife  that  they  had  neglected  a  solemn  duty  to 
their  children.  After  a  few  weeks  the  three  were  baptized. 
One  grandfather  I  could  do  but  little  with ;  the  superin- 
tendent of  our  Sunday-school  got  hold  of  him  one  Sunday 
morning,  and,  as  he  said,  hugged  him  into  the  church.  He 
kept  him  talking  as  they  walked  through  the  street,  and 
getting  him  to  the  church  gate,  beguiled  him  in ;  the  first 
time  he  had  been  to  church  for  over  twenty  years.  His 
wife  was  not  easily  influenced,  almost  always  left  the  room 
when  I  went  there ;  but  her  daughter  was  quickly  made  to 
think  about  her  duty.  She  got  soon  into  the  way  of  coming 
regularly  to  church,  became  deeply  anxious  about  herself, 
and  is  now  a  regular  communicant.  The  drunkard  was 
aroused,  and  remained  steady  for  a  year ;  he  also  connected 
himself  with  the  church,  but  has  since  fallen  away.  I  saw 
him  lately,  and  found  him  in  a  softened  state,  bemoaning 
the  long  habit  of  drink  which  had  grown  so  strong  upon 
him.  Poor  old  man  !  We  know  little  how  hard  it  must 
be  to  overcome  a  vice  that  has  been  gaining  strength  for 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS,  211 

over  forty  years.  He  said,  ''God  knows  I  am  sinful  and 
weak ;  I  love  Him  for  all  that.  It  hurts  me  to  hear  the 
name  of  the  Saviour  spoken  against,— if  I  could  but  get 
away  from  this  drink." 

His  wife  became  suddenly  paralyzed;  this  aroused  her 
from  her  apathy.  She  clung  to  me  when  I  went  to  see  her, 
told  me  how  she  had  forgotten  God.  I  taught  her  like  a 
little  child;  told  her  stories,  read  her  the  parables  and  ex- 
plained them,  as  to  one  feeble  in  body  and  mind,  as  she 
truly  was.  When  I  read  to  her  of  the  sufferings  of  our 
Redeemer,  she  would  clasp  her  hands  and  sob  at  the 
thought,  saying,  ''  Oh,  how  cruel !  He  is  so  good ;  I  do  love 
Him;  I  wish  I  had  begun  long  ago."  She  was  truly  peni- 
tent. We  took  her  in  a  carriage  to  church  for  confirma- 
tion ;  that  was  the  only  time  she  was  there,  she  grew  very 
feeble  ;  is  now  at  rest,  having  died  in  the  full  assurance  of 
acceptance  through  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God. 

The  last  time  I  saw  her,  shortly  before  her  death,  she 
said,  ''I  have  no  wish  but  what  God  wishes;  I  pray  all 
the  time."  Pressing  my  hand  feebly,  she  continued, 
"  When  I  am  gone,  think,  for  your  comfort,  that  I  should  not 
have  loved  the  blessed  Saviour  had  you  not  come  and  told 
me  about  Him.  I  die,  knowing  He  will  be  with  me  in  the 
hour  I  need  Him  most." 

The  other  grandfather,  who  had  backslidden,  returned 
to  the  Church,  and  is  now  communing  regularly. 

This  family  furnishes  another  illustration  of  the  fact,  that 
by  primitive  house-to-house  visiting  and  prayerful  perse- 
verance, very  many  may  be  reached  who  from  untoward 
circumstances,  force  of  habit,  or  pernicious  early  teaching, 
glide  down  life's  stream  wholly  engrossed  by  the  things  of 
time,  and  remain  sadly  ignorant  of  the  ways  of  God  in 
man's  salvation. 


212  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH^ 


THE    GREAT   EASTERN. 

Man's  efforts  to  employ  this  leviathan  steamer  profitably 
in  carrying  those  only  who  could  pay  their  passage,  having 
repeatedly  failed,  it  now  seems  as  if  God  had  designed  her 
for  higher  and  nobler  purposes.  It  is  true  that  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  Great  Eastern,  being  similar  to  those  of  Noah's 
Ark,  she  had  already  rendered  good  service  to  some  students 
of  the  Bible  by  verifying  that  early  type  of  the  Church,  but 
she  will  perform  a  still  higher  service,  if  the  Christian 
Church  takes  warning  from  the  unsuccessful  efforts  to  em- 
ploy this  noble  steamer  in  carrying  rich  passengers  merely, 
when  her  high  mission  was  to  seek  and  save  the  lost  bond 
of  union  between  two  worlds.  Seeking  and  saving  the  lost 
money,  the  lost  sheep,  and  even  the  lost  Publican,  are  less 
startling,  than  seeking  and  saving  a  lost  thread,  buried 
miles  deep  in  the  trackless  ocean.  Such  a  search  seemed 
like  presumption ;  but  it  was  undertaken  intelligently  and 
in  faith,  as  every  appliance  was  provided  that  practical 
experience  or  scientific  skill  could  devise ;  no  idlers  were 
allowed  ;  every  soul  on  board,  from  the  commander  down, 
being  equally  intent  on  the  one  great  aim. 

When,  after  many  delays  and  disappointments,  the  grap- 
nel found  the  lost  cable  and  gently  lifted  it  to  the  water's 
surface  ;  vv^hen  the  agile  sailors  were  lowered  to  secure  it ; 
when  skilful  mechanics  welded  it  to  its  fellow,  and  when 
the  man  of  science  tested  its  vitality  by  sending  the  life 
current  through  it  to  the  mother  land,  there  was  no  place 
for  envy  in  any  breast ;  all  were  jubilant  with  a  joy  that 
was  heightened  by  their  vexatious  delays  and  disappoint- 
ments. 

Our  mother  Church,  by  reason  of  her  alliance  with  the 
state,  lost  sight  of  her  simple  gospel  mission,  and,  whilst 
repudiating  the  sale  of  indulgences,  she  hired  out  reserved 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  213 

seats  in  churches,  and  made  social  distinctions  more  marked 
in  God's  house  than  in  either  the  political  or  commercial 
world.  The  Rev.  R.  Gregory  gave  the  following  illustra- 
tion of  the  natural  result  of  that  system,  in  his  speech  at 
the  recent  Church  Congress,  composed  of  Bishops,  Pres- 
byters, and  Laymen  :  "■  The  calculation  is  that  not  one  in 
fifty  of  the  workingmen,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Thames, 
are  found  in  any  place  of  worship  at  all."  He  adds  this 
sentence  that  is  replete  with  dearly-bought  wisdom :  "To 
give  alms  (to  men)  fails  to  attach  them  to  the  giver ;  the 
reception  of  alms  degrades  them  in  their  own  eyes,  and 
although  at  the  moment  they  are  grateful  to  the  donor, 
alms-giving  in  the  long  run  fails  to  have  the  effect  we  are 
in  the  habit  of  attributing  to  it.  We  must  therefore  start 
from  some  other  point,  so  as  to  convince  them  that  we 
really  sympathize  with  them." 

The  scriptural  proverb,  ''As  is  the  mother,  so  is  her 
daughter,"  is,  in  this  case,  lamentably  true;  but  both 
mother  and  daughter  (like  the  Great  Eastern  before  her 
successful  cruise)  are  being  prepared  to  start  afresh  on  their 
true  mission.  With  what  deep  interest  every  form  of  grapnel 
is  now  examined  and  prepared  for  use  !  The  duly-appointed 
commanders  now  welcome  with  heartfelt  joy  the  humblest 
helpers  as  the  gift  of  God  ;  and  they  join  the  more  favored, 
who  sustain  the  Church  by  renting  pews,  not  only  to  aid 
their  ministers  in  seeking  the  lost,  but  also  to  welcome  them 
into  God's  house  just  as  cordially  as  the  tradesman  or  even 
the  publican  welcomes  them  into  his  shop.  The  following 
brief  extract  from  a  private  log-book,  reveals  some  of  the 
hidden  working  by  which  great  successes  have  already  been 
wrought  by  spiritual  grapnels  and  other  appliances  too  long 
neglected  by  the  Church.  W. 

While  visiting  one  day,  a  member  of  our  mothers'  meet- 
ing told  me  of  Mrs.  S ,  who  had  been  nursing  her,  and 


214  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

said,  "  I  wish  you  would  go  to  see  her ;  she  has  had  a  great 
deal  of  trouble.  I  told  her  I  was  sure  you  would  go."  A  few 
days  afterwards  I  called  to  see  her.  She  had  been  a  mem- 
ber of  a  religious  body,  but  several  years  before,  when  she 
was  in  trouble,  none  of  the  members  of  that  body  came  to 
see  her,  she  felt  neglected  and  alone,  stayed  away  from 
church,  and  had  grown  careless.  Her  husband  was  in  a 
consumption,  but  worked  occasionally  when  he  was  able. 
Her  daughter,  a  delicate  girl,  was  in  the  mill,  and  she  her- 
self was  obliged  to  go  out  nursing,  in  order  to  keep  up  their 
little  home.  I  talked  to  her  about  herself,  and  found  that 
she  was  very  unhappy  at  living  apart  from  her  Saviour. 
When  I  prayed  for  her  she  was  completely  broken  down, 
and  remained  upon  her  knees  sobbing.  She  felt  that  she 
had  wandered  too  far  from  God  to  be  forgiven.  I  read  to 
her  the  promises.  Hope  gradually  dawned  upon  her  soul, 
and  she  thanked  God  that  He  had  sent  some  one  to  draw 
her  back  into  the  path  from  which  she  had  so  long  strayed. 
As  the  way  was  not  new  to  her,  she  advanced  rapidly  in 
the  Christian  life.  She  joined  our  mothers'  meeting,  and 
attended  church  regularly.  In  a  few  months  our  minister 
admitted  her  to  the  holy  communion ;  and  when  the 
Bishop  came  she  was  confirmed.  Sometimes,  other  mem- 
bers of  the  mothers'  meeting  speak  to  her  playfully  of  her 
great  love  for  me  ;  and  on  one  of  these  occasions  she  seized 
my  hand,  and,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  said  "  How  could  I 
help  loving  you  when  you  brought  me  back  to  my  Saviour !" 
Indeed,  her  grateful  love  humbles  me,  for  she  calls  me 
teacher,  while  I  really  sit  at  her  feet  and  learn  of  her. 

She  became  extremely  anxious  about  her  husband,  who 
was  entirely  indifferent  in  regard  to  religious  subjects. 
When  together  we  used  to  pray  for  him.  She  begged  me 
to  come  when  he  was  at  home  alone,  and  talk  to  him.  At 
first  I  seldom  saw  him;  but  as  his  disease  progressed,  and 
he  was  confined  more  to  the  house,  I  learned  to  know  him 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  215 

better.  He  was  a  very  quiet,  reserved  man,  and  it  was  hard 
to  discover  his  thoughts  or  feelings  on  any  subject.  His 
wife  gave  up  nursing,  and  went  out  to  work  by  the  day,  so 
that  she  could  be  with  him  every  evening.  As  he  could  not 
read,  his  days  were  very  lonely  while  his  wife  and  daughter 
were  both  away  at  work;  and  I  went  as  often  as  I  could  to 
read  to  him.  He  said  very  little,  but  his  wife  told  me  he 
loved  the  reading,  and  was  very  much  disappointed  if  more 
than  the  usual  number  of  days  passed  without  my  going 
there.  One  day,  after  our  reading,  he  said,  "I  now  trust 
entirely  in  my  Saviour,  and  feel  sure  that  He  will  never 
leave  me."  These  few  words  from  him  were  more  than 
many  sentences  from  most  people.  His  favorite  hymns 
were  read  to  him  every  day,  and  often  several  times  over. 
He  suffered  much,  and  often  could  not  lie  down  at  all;  but 
he  was  always  patient  and  never  uttered  a  complaint.  His 
wife  strove  faithfully  and  earnestly  to  lead  him  on  in  the 
right  way.  It  was  wonderful  how  much  time  she  found  to 
read  to  him.  Every  morning  many  things  had  to  be  done 
for  his  comfort  during  the  day,  and  then  her  house-work 
had  all  to  be  done  when  she  came  home  at  night ;  yet  she 
was  never  so  much  hurried  in  the  morning  as  to  omit  the 
family  devotions,  and  never  too  weary  at  night  for  the  ac- 
customed chapter  and  prayers.  Great  was  her  joy  when 
she  became  convinced  that  her  husband  was  resting  his 
hope  of  salvation  simply  on  the  merits  of  our  dear  Lord. 

She  steadily  manifests  a  deep  and  lively  interest  in  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  her  friends  and  neighbors;  and  several 
of  them  have  told  me  of  her  many  earnest  talks  with  them. 
Every  little  tract  or  book  which  she  receives,  is  given  away 
with  a  fervent  prayer  that  it  may  be  blessed  to  the  reader. 
She  often  mourns  that  she  cannot  do  more;  and  yet  I  know 
none  who,  in  proportion  to  their  talents  and  opportunities, 
do  as  much  as  she  does.  She  is  very  much  interested  in 
the  scholars  belonging  to  my  large  Bible-class,  and  for  a 


21 6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

long  time  has  been  in  the  habit  of  praying  daily,  not  only 
for  the  whole  class,  but  specially  for  several  menribers  of  it. 
She  said  one  day,  *'I  never  see  any  of  those  boys  come 
into  church  without  lifting  up  my  heart  in  prayer  to  God 
that  they  may  receive  a  blessing." 

Though  very  poor,  they  are  such  independent  people 
that  I  never  liked  to  offer  them  any  assistance.  Last  winter, 
shortly  before  the  death  of  Mr.  S ,  the  weather  was  ex- 
tremely cold,  and  their  little  worn-out  stove  was  entirely 
insufficient  to  keep  their  kitchen  at  all  comfortable, — poor 

S would  sit  over  it  shivering  and  looking  so  cold.     I 

mentioned  this  to  a  friend,  who  sent  to  their  house  a  better 
stove,  without  anything  having  been  said  to  them  about  it, 
or  probably  they  would  have  been  unwilling  to  accept  it. 
Just  after  this  I  was  absent  from  the  parish  for  several  days, 
and  on  my  return  learned  that  S had  died,  quite  sud- 
denly, early  that  very  morning.     I  hastened  to  the  house 

and  found  Mrs.  S in  deep  but  chastened  sorrow,  and 

also  full  of  gratitude  because  she  felt  sure  that  her  husband 
was  at  rest  in  Paradise,  and  because  he  had  not  died  when 

she  was  out  at  her  daily  work.      **0h.  Miss  Y ,"  she 

exclaimed,  "  if  you  had  only  been  here  ! — he  wanted  to  see 
you  so  much;  but  he  left  good-by  for  you,  and  said,  'Tell 
her  I  hope  to  meet  her  in  heaven.'  "  We  went  up-stairs 
together,  and  knelt  in  prayer  beside  her  husband  who 
seemed  smiling  peacefully  even  in  death.  We  thanked  God 
that  He  had  heard  and  answered  all  our  prayers,  and  had 
spared  his  life  until  he  learned  to  trust  entirely  in  our 
blessed  Redeemer.  I  came  away  feeling,  indeed,  that  ''it 
is  better  to  go  to  the  house  of  mourning  than  to  go  to  the 
house  of  feasting." 

She  said  to  me  afterwards,  "Oh,  Miss  Y ,  that  stove, 

— if  you  could  only  have  seen  what  a  comfort  it  was  to  my 
husband !  When  the  man  brought  it,  we  told  him  he  had 
come  to  the  wrong  place;  but  he  showed  us  the  number  of 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  217 

our  house  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  said  he  knew  he  was 
right.  Then  we  both  said  that  you,  in  some  way,  had  sent 
it,  and  we  prayed  God  to  bless  you  for  it.  We  watched  the 
man  take  the  old  one  down,  and  the  pipe  and  stove  fell  to 
pieces  in  his  hands.  Husband  and  I  looked  at  one  another; 
we  had  both  been  thinking  about  this  for  a  long  time.  We 
each  knew  the  pipe  was  all  worn  out,  but  as  we  could  not 
get  a  new  one,  we  had  not  liked  to  speak  to  each  other 
about  it.  He  was  so  grateful,  and  said  God  sent  him 
everything  he  wanted." 

The  widow  was  resolved  to  pay  her  husband's  funeral  ex- 
penses. She  said  she  and  her  daughter  had  been  talking 
about  it,  and  they  wanted  to  pay  them.  They  could  not 
bear  the  idea  of  neighbors  taking  up  a  collection  for  them, 
therefore  they  borrowed  the  money,  and  have  been  paying 
it  back  in  small  sums. 

I  learned  that  S ,  who  was  the  most  reserved  man  I 

have  ever  known,  although  so  young  in  the  faith,  had  been 
talking  to  one  of  his  neighbors  on  the  subject  of  religion. 

Mrs.  S is  never  absent  from  the  mothers'  meeting. 

She  says  it  rests  her  after  a  hard  day's  work;  and  she  may 
always  be  seen  quietly  seating  herself  beside  the  loneliest, 
saddest-looking,  or  the  most  despised  woman  in  the  room, 
cheering  her  loneliness,  sympathizing  with  her  in  her 
troubles,  or  pointing  her  to  the  Saviour, 

St.  James  says,  ''Hearken,  my  beloved  brethren.  Hath 
not  God  chosen  the  poor  of  this  world,  rich  in  faith,  and 
heirs  of  the  Kingdom  which  He  hath  promised  to  them  that 
love  Him?  but  ye  have  despised  the  poor."  The  great 
Apostle  to  the  Gentiles  felt  that  he  received  his  motive 
power  through  the  prayers  of  just  such.  He  cried,  ''Breth- 
ren, pray  for  us  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free 
course  and  be  glorified.  Brethren,  pray  for  us.  Continue 
in  prayer,  and  watch  in  the  same  with  thanksgiving,  withal, 

K  '  19 


2i8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

praying  also  for  us,  that  God  would  open  to  us  a  door  of 
utterance,  to  speak  the  mystery  of  Christ." 

People  who  do  not  understand  the  nature  of  the  work 
in  which  we  are  engaged  often  express  astonishment  that 
we  do  so  much,  but  if  they  could  see  the  helps  we  have 
from  the  prayers  and  tender  personal  efforts  of  others, 
they  would  perhaps  be  amazed  that  we  effect  so  little.  Our 
helpers  draw  many  within  our  reach,  whom,  otherwise,  we 
should  fail  to  influence  for  good. 


LIFE   INSURANCE. 

Mutual  life  insurance  companies  have  of  late  rapidly 
increased  in  number,  and  their  business  has  more  than 
doubled  within  two  years.  This  modern  institution,  the  off- 
spring of  Christian  civilization,  should  be  thoroughly  ex- 
amined by  religious  teachers,  for  where  it  is  intelligently 
and  honestly  conducted,  it  successfully  embodies  some  of 
the  most  important  practical  principles  of  the  Church,  as 
described  in  the  Gospels  and  Epistles.  It  is  a  real  brother- 
hood in  which  the  strong  support  the  weak;  its  organ- 
ization is  complete,  therefore  its  operations  are  orderly 
and  can  be  safely  and  indefinitely  extended,  and  as  it  works 
on  a  principle,  without  being  fettered  by  traditional  usages, 
it  is  intensely  aggressive. 

The  sagacious  men  who  conduct  some  of  these  associa- 
tions are  thorough  students  of  the  Bible  and  of  human 
nature  in  all  its  phases ;  they  know  full  well  that  whilst 
''doctrines  or  the  things  that  are  believed,  are  the  princi- 
ples of  action,  emotions*  or  the  things  that  are  felt  are  the 
impellant  forces."  Although  these  associations  spend  nearly 
half  a  million  of  dollars  annually  in  printing  dissertations 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


219 


on  the  principles  of  life  insurance  and  its  advantages,  yet 
success  is  alone  attained  by  the  persistent  personal  persua- 
sion of  men  trained  to  investigate,  and  to  follow  up  each 
case  separately,  until  the  act  of  committal  is  consummated. 

The  success  of  this  mode  of  influencing  men  by  persua- 
sive power  is  complete  ;  for,  within  three  years,  forty-three 
companies  have  insured  the  lives  of  two  hundred  and  thir- 
teen thousand  persons  for  over  six  hundred  millions  of 
dollars.  Although  the  business  is  in  its  infancy,  yet 
more  than  ten  thousand  of  these  personal  persuaders  or 
solicitors,  as  they  are  called,  are  now  successfully  employed ; 
and  it  is  expected  that  through  their  agency  the  lives  of  at 
least  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  persons  will  be  in- 
sured this  year  (1867). 

Self-interest  suffices  to  induce  a  man  to  insure  his  prop- 
erty against  losses  by  fire  and  flood,  but  it  is  no  easy  task 
to  persuade  a  stranger,  contrary  to  his  natural  disposition, 
to  consider  the  uncertainty  of  life  and  the  certainty  of  his 
own  death,  and  to  yield  to  the  silent  pleadings  of  love,  so 
as  to  restrain  present  self-indulgence  and  provide  for  the 
future  of  others,  by  paying  annually  a  premium  for  insuring 
his  life. 

As  the  power  of  personal  persuasion  even  when  used  by 
persons  acting  merely  from  self-interest  and  without  in- 
voking the  Holy  Spirit's  aid,  brings  the  higher  nature  of 
fallen  man  into  healthful  exercise,  what  a  fearful  responsi- 
bility rests  on  all  who  possess  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and  have 
intelligence  and  the  gift  of  speech !  The  Book  of  Proverbs 
asserts  that  "death  and  life  are  in  the  power  of  the 
tongue;"  the  death-power  of  the  tongue  is  freely  used  by 
very  many  at  the  instigation  of  the  Evil  One,  but  the  silence 
of  most  Christians  is  criminal,  for  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  pledged  to  develop  in  them  this  life-power  and  to  direct 
them  in  its  exercise.  Surely  those  solicitors  for  life  in- 
surance have  swept  away  all  the  specious  pleas  under  which 


220  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

man  usually  tries  to  justify  himself  for  allowing  the  weaker  or 
less  favored  to  perish  eternally,  and  the  following  record  of 
persuasion  by  a  modest,  self-distrustful  woman  should  en- 
courage and  incite  all  to  do  likewise  in  private,  where  this 
power  is  possessed  by  every  one,  although  few  can  become 
public  orators.  W. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1861  that  I  first  entered  the 
wards  of  a  military  hospital.  The  long  rows  of  beds,  on 
each  one  of  which  lay  a  human  being,  suffering  either  from 
sickness  or  wounds,  presented  a  melancholy  spectacle,  and 
a  sad  evidence  of  the  horrors  of  war. 

Here,  then,  was  the  opportunity  so  ardently  desired  since 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  of  ministering  to  the  physical 
and  spiritual  necessities  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 
Entering  heartily  upon  the  work,  I  soon  found  that  oppor- 
tunities for  alleviating  physical  suffering  were  very  limited, 
being  mostly  confined  to  the  supply  of  delicacies  ;  but  I 
was  permitted  free  access  to  the  bedsides  of  the  patients  for 
the  purpose  of  imparting  religious  instruction,  and  of  this 
privilege  from  that  time,  I  daily  availed  myself.  The  work 
was  soon  systematized,  for  other  ladies  joined  me,  each 
taking  one  ward  or  floor  of  the  hospital,  containing  one 
hundred  and  ten  beds,  and  confining  her  labors  to  that 
ward. 

We  began  by  going  from  bed  to  bed,  giving  to  each 
patient  a  tract,  asking  a  few  questions  expressive  of  kindly 
sympathy,  inquiring  into  his  wants,  and  concluding  with  the 
expressed  hope  that  the  tenderly  sympathizing  Saviour  was 
his  friend  and  comforter  in  the  hour  of  trial.  The  reply, 
of  course,  enabled  us  to  judge  of  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  patient,  and  suggested  either  earnest  words  of  warning 
and  entreaty  to  turn  at  once  to  this  merciful  Saviour  as  the 
sinner's  only  refuge  and  hope,  or  to  throw  out  that  electric 
spark  which  tells  that  we  are  "one  in  Christ  Jesus." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS  221 

Such  conversations  were  generally  followed  by  prayer  if 
the  least  favorable  impression  seemed  to  have  been  made. 
Subsequent  visits  were  devoted  to  reading  some  portion 
of  Scripture,  with  a  simple  explanation  in  which  I  tried  to 
press  home  upon  the  conscience  practical  lessons,  or  to 
conversation  based  on  some  book  or  tract  which  had  been 
left  for  perusal.  Generally,  confidence  was  soon  gained. 
We  had  reason  to  hope  that  these  efforts  were  blessed  of 
God,  but  how  far  the  last  day  alone  can  reveal,  for  we 
could  not  follow  up  the  impressions  made,  as  the  men  were 
sent  home  on  furlough  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to  travel, 
and  returned  no  more  to  the  hospital.  From  many  of 
them  we  received  most  encouraging  letters,  and  many  of 
those  who  died  expressed  a  firm  trust  in  the  beloved  Saviour. 

Then  came  the  transfer  to  another  hospital,  where,  for 
the  first  month,  our  duties  were  so  largely  secular,  and  those 
to  whom  we  ministered  were  in  such  a  fearful  state  of  ex- 
haustion and  suffering,  that  we  could  only  watch  for  oppor- 
tunities when  the  pain  was  somewhat  lulled  and  the  facul- 
ties sufficiently  awakened  for  us,  in  a  few  whispered  words, 
to  point  the  poor  sufferer  to  "the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,"  or,  having  soothed  his 
spirit  by  expressions  of  tender  sympathy,  and  bathed  his 
aching  brow,  to  bend  over  him,  and,  in  a  brief  prayer,  en- 
deavor to  lift  his  soul  to  Him  who  for  his  sake  hung  in  agony 
and  shame  upon  the  cross.  Death  made  sad  havoc  among 
these  poor  men,  and  soon  left  many  of  their  beds  vacant. 

Their  places  were  filled  by  convalescents,  and  then  came 
the  most  difficult  and  trying  part  of  my  hospital  experience. 
I  had  been  accustomed,  in  visiting  the  poor,  to  speak 
earnestly  and  pointedly  to  them  on  the  subject  of  personal 
religion,  and  had  habitually  prayed  with  the  sick  and 
afflicted,  but  to  deal  thus  with  these  men,  to  question  them 
about  their  spiritual  condition,  to  exhort  them  to  repent 
and  believe,  seemed,  indeed,  a  great  task.     I  shrank  from 

19* 


222  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

the  responsibility,  and  feared,  moreover,  that  the  subject 
would  be  not  only  unwelcome,  but  offensive  to  those  whom 
I  should  address;  but,  from  a  strong  sense  of  duty  and 
through  prayer,  I  was  enabled  to  undertake  the  work.  I 
tried  to  make  myself  acquainted  with  the  character  and  cir- 
cumstances, the  home  relations  and  army  experience,  the 
former  and  present  religious  status  of  each  man  in  my  ward. 
I  had  it  in  my  power  to  supply  many  comforts  and  delica- 
cies, and  obtain  many  favors  for  the  men,  which,  of  course, 
ingratiated  me  with  them,  and  made  them  more  willing  to 
listen  to  the  message  which  I  brought.  Supposed  favora- 
ble impressions  were  always  followed  up  by  reading  to  them, 
or  inducing  them  to  read  religious  books. 

It  was  on  a  Sunday,  in  the  fall  of  1862,  that,  after  many 
struggles  and  much  prayer,  I  held  my  first  Bible-class  in 
the  hospital ;  there  were  five  men  present,  and  as  I  sat  be- 
fore them  Bible  in  hand,  I  trembled  so  violently  that  I  could 
hardly  speak. 

But  God  was  pleased  to  bless  these  feeble  and  imperfect 
efforts,  and  my  heart  was  soon  cheered  by  two  of  the  men 
presenting  themselves  as  candidates  for  baptism.  I  had 
many  private  interviews  for  conversation  and  prayer  with 
them ;  and,  for  their  benefit  and  that  of  a  few  others  who 
were  thinking  seriously,  commenced  a  week-day  class  on 
the  Catechism  ;  this  was  so  well  attended  that  after  a  brief 
course  of  catechetical  instruction,  I  concluded  to  turn  it 
into  a  daily  Bible-class,  and  throw  it  open  to  all.  This 
was  kept  up  with  an  average  attendance  of  twenty-five  out 
of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  patients,  and  with 
most  encouraging  results.  At  the  end  of  six  months  from 
the  organization  of  my  class,  that  hospital  was  closed,  and 
I  was  transferred  to  another. 

Here  work  was  undertaken  'inder  more  discouraging  cir- 
cumstances. I  had  no  acquaintance  with  the  surgeons  of 
the  wards,  had  no  defined  position,  no  opportunity  for  re- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  223 

lieving  the  temporal  necessities  of  the  men,  and  was  un- 
known to  most  of  them.  At  last,  however,  after  three 
months'  waiting,  Bible-classes  were  organized,  and  from 
that  date  I  trace  the  commencement  of  efficient  work  at 
this  hospital.  Our  plan  was  to  visit  the  patients  in  the 
wards,  to  have  direct  and  pointed  religious  conversation 
with  each  one,  to  urge  upon  them  the  importance  of  per- 
sonal religion,  to  speak  to  them  of  the  shortness  and  un- 
certainty of  life,  and  of  the  great  love  and  mercy  of  God 
in  providing  salvation  for  sinful  men.  In  this  way  the 
most  important  subjects  were  brought  home  to  the  individual 
conscience.  They  were  next  induced  to  attend  the  Bible- 
class  :  every  absence  was  noted,  religious  books  were  put 
into  their  hands  and  religious  conversation  held  with  them. 
They  were  invited  to  our  sanctum,  letters  from  absent  com- 
rades were  read  to  them.  Thus  their  confidence  was 
secured,  and  opportunities  were  gamed  for  religious  con- 
versations adapted  to  the  peculiarities  of  each,  in  which, 
either  by  argument,  persuasion,  warning,  or  entreaty,  the 
duties  and  responsibilities  of  life  were  presented,  and  an 
earnest  effort  made  to  induce  the  listener  to  promise  to 
begin  the  Christian  life.  The  promise  was  sometimes 
given,  seldom  utterly  refused,  but  the  proposition  was 
always  made  by  us  that  each  one  should  pray  that  God 
would  either  confirm  the  resolution  already  made,  or  give 
them  strength  to  make  it  without  delay.  Many  and  many 
a  man  has  risen  from  his  knees,  after  that  first  prayer,  with 
the  tears  streaming  from  his  eyes,  has  shaken  my  hand  and 
said,  '^  I  will  try  to  be  a  Christian  ;  I  promise  you." 

But  this  was  only  the  inauguration  of  the  work ;  this 
first  step  taken,  there  was  need  of  the  greatest  tender- 
ness, watchfulness,  and  perseverance,  with  constant  prayer. 
The  delicate  plant  may  easily  be  chilled,  and  droop,  and 
die. 

This  beginning  of  religious  interest  was  kept  up  by  fre- 


224 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH 


quent  private  interviews,  in  which  encouragement  and  in- 
struction were  given.  We  found  much  fanaticism,  many- 
erroneous  views  of  gospel  truth,  a  strong  disposition  to 
seek  for  peace  rather  pardon,  to  put  feeling  in  the  place 
of  Christ,  to  look  for  a  sudden  assurance  of  sins  forgiven, 
and  in  many  other  ways  to  overlook  the  finished  work  of  re- 
demption, and  the  fact  that  ''  whosoever  will,'''  may  "  come 
and  buy  wine  and  milk,  without  money  and  without  price." 

There  was  also  very  generally  a  severe  struggle  before 
the  young  disciple  could  bring  himself  to  the  point  of 
openly  kneeling  in  prayer  by  his  bedside.  We  always 
urged  it  very  strongly,  unless  there  appeared  to  be  danger 
of  thus  ''  breaking  the  bruised  reed  or  quenching  the  smok- 
ing flax."  Few  could  long  resist  appeals  to  the  heart  pre- 
senting the  self-sacrificing  love  of  Christ  and  his  suffering 
for  us  upon  the  cross,  and  when  these  appeals  were  followed 
up  by  the  solemn  asseveration  of  the  Saviour,  that  those  who 
''  will  not  confess  Him  before  men  shall  not  be  confessed  by 
Him  before  his  Father  and  the  holy  angels,"  a  promise 
was  generally  given,  and  the  effort  made,  and  prayer 
offered,  kneeling  in  the  midst  of  what  the  individual  felt 
would  be  surprised  looks,  taunts,  and  sneers  from  those 
who  had  long  known  him  as  a  drunkard,  a  swearer,  in- 
different and  callous,  or  wild  and  reckless.  On  the  next 
day  when  the  question  was  asked,  ^'  Did  you  kneel?"  there 
was  almost  invariably  a  bright  smile  as  the  glad  '^  yes"  was 
uttered,  followed  by,  "I  hardly  think  I  could  have  done 
it,  but  I  knew  you  were  praying  for  me,  and  that  thought 
gave  me  courage." 

When  a  steady  and  increasing  interest  was  shown,  to- 
gether with  earnestness  and  sincerity,  the  great  question  of 
baptism  soon  came  up,  sooner,  perhaps,  than  it  would 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  for  we  felt  it  to  be  ex- 
tremely important  in  order  to  give  firmness  and  strength 
to  the  religious  character,  that  a  decided  stand  should  be 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  225 

taken,  and  an  open  confession  of  Christ  made  in  the  midst 
of  the  temptations  of  a  hospital,  and  to  give  strength  for 
the  temptations  of  army  life.  Then  followed  a  course  of 
instruction  preparatory  to  baptism,  based  upon  the  Church 
Catechism,  made  throughout  as  practical  as  possible,  and 
brought  home,  step  by  step,  to  the  heart  and  conscience  of 
the  catechumen.  The  docility  of  these  men  was  amaz'ng  ; 
they  sat  at  our  feet  and  listened  to  our  teachings  in  the 
spirit  of  little  children,  and  obeyed  our  slightest  suggestion 
as  if  it  had  been  a  ''general  order."  In  the  catechism, 
the  whole  round  of  Christian  doctrine  came  under  notice, 
and  every  phase  of  Christian  character  and  experience  was 
reached.  In  these  repeated  private  interviews  we  gradually 
became  well  acquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of  each  one, 
peculiarities  of  training,  character,  thought,  etc.,  and 
adapted  our  teaching  to  the  needs  of  each.  The  solemn 
vows  of  baptism  made,  Christ  confessed,  the  world  re- 
nounced, and  the  young  volunteer  fully  enlisted,  we  felt 
that  much  had  been  done,  and  thanked  God  that  we  had 
been  permitted  to  have  any  part  in  the  good  work. 

The  habit  of  close  personal  oversight  was  kept  up  as  long 
as  the  young  Christians  remained  within  reach,  which,  in 
some  cases,  was  more  than  a  year.  Frequent  interviews 
were  had,  to  do  what  might  be  done,  to  prevent  the  coming 
in  of  coldness  and  declension.  The  best  safeguard  against 
danger  of  this  sort  was  found  to  be  immediate  and  earnest 
entrance  upon  some  Christian  work,  such  as  reading  to  or 
conversing  with  others  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion. 

I  felt  more  and  more  every  day  the  absolute  necessity  for 
this  continued  watchfulness,  examination,  instruction,  and 
guidance,  long,  very  long,  after  the  Christian  profession 
had  been  made ;  otherwise,  many  a  promising  disciple 
would  have  made  shipwreck  of  his  faith.  The  same  kind 
of  oversight  is  still  to  some  extent  kept  up  with  the  absent 
ones  by  the  frequent  interchange  of  letters. 


2  26  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

The  result  of  my  experience  in  two  and  a  half  years  of  this 
kind  of  work  has  been  most  encouraging.  I  find  in  many, 
I  may  say  in  most  men,  no  aversion  to  conversation  on 
the  subject  of  religion  ;  on  the  contrary,  there  is  a  readiness 
to  acknowledge  its  value,  and  a  degree  of  impressibility 
which  have  greatly  surprised  me.  Some  whom  I  have 
known  have  been  in  the  habit  of  going  to  church  as  a 
mere  form,  with  the  idea  of  *' getting  religion"  at  a  re- 
vival-meeting ;  that  is,  if  they  have  ever  thought  anything  at 
all  about  it.  With  others,  these  revivals  and  their  results  have 
completely  shaken  confidence  in  the  reality  of  religion,  or 
have  led  them  to  steel  their  hearts  against  serious  impres- 
sions. They  are  not  to  be  ''frightened  into  religion." 
The  lukewarmness  and  worldliness  of  many  army  chaplains 
and  the  frequent  backslidings  of  professing  Christians  had 
also  a  most  injurious  effect.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  these 
obstacles,  kindness  and  sympathy,  or  interest  shown  in 
men's  trials  and  temptations,  and  persevering  efforts  to 
instruct  them  and  lead  them  to  the  Saviour,  generally  pro- 
duced the  best  effect. 

''  My  word  shall  not  return  unto  me  void,"  is  God's  own 
promise.  Now,  whilst  we  fully  expect  its  fulfillment,  should 
we  do  so,  not  with  folded  hands,  but  with  the  kind  of  faith 
shown  by  the  diligent  husbandman,  who,  in  sowing  the 
seed,  uses  every  art  and  improvement  to  insure  a  good  and 
bountiful  harvest. 


APPROACHES   TO   THE   IRRELIGIOUS. 

Modes  of  hostile  approach  have  been  fully  discussed  in 
many  elaborate  treatises  on  the  art  of  war ;  but  very  little 
has  been  taught  or  written  on  the  best  modes  oi  friendly 
approach  to  men  who  are  living  in  opposition  to  religion, 
or  in  indifference  to  its  claims.     Comparatively  few  men 


THEIR   SAVINGS  AND   DOINGS.  227 

of  this  class  are  brought  within  the  range  of  the  pulpit,  or 
are  savingly  influenced  by  the  less  formal  public  preaching  ; 
therefore  the  best  modes  of  privately  approaching  and 
favorably  influencing  such  minds  and  hearts  should  be  care- 
fully studied. 

It  is  lamentably  true  that  many  members  of  the  Church 
justify  themselves  for  narrowing  their  responsibilities,  by 
asking,  ''Who  is  my  neighbor?"  but  there  are  also  many 
who  possess  the  Spirit  of  Christ  so  largely  that  they  are 
yearning  to  learn  how  they  can  "win  souls." 

The  following  paper  was  elicited  by  a  bishop  who  was 
an  eye-witness  of  remarkable  success  in  varied  fields,  by 
cultivated  women  of  widely  dissimilar  characteristics.  He 
desired  to  incite  others  to  work  for  Christ,  by  showing  the 
modes  of  approach  that  had  been  so  fully  tested  under  his 
own  observation.  In  a  military  hospital,  approaches  to 
the  irreligious  seem  to  be  easy,  because  men  are  within 
reach  of  their  teacher,  but  it  is  found  that  the  successful 
winner  of  souls  there,  has  in  every  case  been  equally  suc- 
cessful in  parochial  and  missionary  work.  The  men  in  the 
hospital  soon  learned  that  these  women  did  not  come  to 
please  themselves,  but  to  benefit  others,  and  in  proportion 
to  the  seeming  sacrifice  was  their  power. 

This  principle  was  forcibly  illustrated  last  winter  by  one 
of  them  when  collecting  a  Bible  class  of  workingmen  in  a 
difficult  suburban  mission.  On  the  memorable  Thursday 
afternoon  in  January,  suitably  escorted,  she  visited  certain 
manufactories  and  machine-shops  where  some  men  worked 
whose  families  she  knew.  The  fearful  snow-drifts  housed 
all  seekers  of  pleasure,  and  even  defied  the  efforts  of  pow- 
erful locomotives,  but  this  zealous  woman  braved  the  storm. 
The  eloquence  of  its  howling  testified  to  her  deep  interest 
in  them,  therefore  every  man  who  was  visited  promised  to 
be  present  the  following  Sunday,  and  the  promise  was  kept. 
An  intelligent  self-denying  interest  in  the  spiritual  welfare 


2  28  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

of  others  when  courteously  manifested,  not  only  makes  the 
approach  easy,  but  also  prepares  the  heart  to  receive  the 
good  seed.  W- 

You  ask  how  approaches  are  to  be  made  to  the  men,  and 
whether  the  subject  of  religion  is  or  is  not  introduced  early 
and  formally? 

These  questions  are  somewhat  difficult  to  answer,  because 
I  have  not  yet  discovered  any  one  method  applicable  alike 
to  all  cases. 

In  going  into  a  ward  filled  with  new  patients,  I  generally 
have  in  my  hand  a  packet  of  Ryle's  handbills.  Most  of  the 
men,  we  will  suppose,  are  convalescents, — a  few,  however, 
being  badly  wounded  or  ill.  To  each  of  the  latter  I  speak 
a  few  words  of  tender  sympathy,  with  offers  of  such  service 
as  we  are  permitted  to  render,  concluding  with  a  reference 
to  that  dear  Saviour,  who  was  bruised  for  our  offenses  and 
wounded  for  our  transgressions,  and  who  feels  with  every 
sufferer. 

With  the  convalescent,  a  question  about  his  wound  or  sick- 
ness opens  the  conversation,  when  I  try  to  draw  him  out 
{without  asking  many  questions')  about  his  battles,  his 
wounds,  his  home  and  family,  his  early  life,  etc.;  and  the 
man  must  be  very  reticent,  or  I  very  stupid,  if  I  do  not  soon 
learn  his  most  marked  characteristics,  and  thus  discover 
how  to  approach  him  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Is  he  a 
man  of  warm  affections,  to  whose  eyes  the  mention  of  wife 
or  mother,  and  of  "  home,  sweet  home,"  brings  the  starting 
tear;  then  the  story  of  a  Saviour's  love  and  the  description 
of  the  heavenly  home,  where  sundered  ties  are  reunited, 
where  warfare  is  unknown,  and  the  weary  are  at  rest,  are 
likely  to  make  an  impression.  Is  he  manly,  energetic,  and 
decided,  taking  a  deep  interest  in  all  the  great  questions 
how  convulsing  the  country,  with  his  mind  made  up  upon 
them  all ;  then  the  question  naturally  suggests  itself,  are  you 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS 


229 


as  decided  and  as  earnest  with  regard  to  the  great  v/arfare 
between  God  and  Satan  ? — on  which  side  are  you  ?  followed 
by  an  appeal  to  his  manliness  and  decision  ;  not  to  be  halt- 
ing between  two  opinions,  or  indifferent  to  that  in  which 
God  and  angels  take  the  deepest  interest,  the  salvation  of 
his  soul.  Is  he  wild,  reckless,  and  dissipated,  with  good 
impulses,  not  yet  ha7'dened  in  sin  ;  I  tell  him  of  the  prodigal 
son  wasting  his  substance,  finding  no  real  happiness  while 
far  from  his  father's  house,  and  of  that  father's  readiness  to 
receive  him,  of  the  vanity  of  the  world,  and  the  true  and 
lasting  peace  which  religion  gives.  Is  he  heavy,  stolid,  dull, 
taken  up  with  material  things;  I  tell  him  of  the  shortness 
and  uncertainty  of  life,  the  awfulness  of  eternity,  and  the 
necessity  of  immediate  and  thorough  preparation  for  it. 

With  many,  time  or  circumstances  will  not  allow  of  a 
prolonged  conversation ;  but  the  news  of  the  day  suggests 
a  remark  about  voting,  and  this  prepares  the  way  for  a  word 
about  making  choice  of  a  spiritual  leader,  and  of  fighting 
spiritual  battles.  The  title  of  a  handbill  forms  the  text  for 
a  few  remarks  about  the  "soul,"  "the  heavenly  treasure," 
"the  Good  Shepherd,"  etc.  A  wound  serves  to  remind  of 
the  wounds  sin  has  made  in  the  soul ;  the  skill  of  the  sur- 
geon, of  the  great  Physician,  etc.  etc. 

I  generally  speak  on  the  subject  of  religion,  but  where 
there  is  a  likelihood  of  having  frequent  opportunities  for 
doing  so  with  an  individual,  I  do  not  make  it  the  staple  of 
conversation,  but  talk  on  topics  of  general  or  of  personal 
interest  apart  from  it,  until  his  confidence  is  gained,  and 
my  presence  is  known  as  something  different  from  the 
herald  of  a  disagreeable  subject.  A  word  now  and  then,  a 
religious  book  to  read,  efforts  to  induce  regular  attendance 
at  the  Bible-class,  manifestations  of  interest  in  his  family 
and  in  his  temporal  concerns,  pave  the  way  for  a  regular 
siege,  and  render  the  capitulation  of  the  citadel  more  likely. 

Beyond  this  point,  the  work  can  hardly  be  carried  on  too 
20 


230  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

vigorously,  by  earnest  appeals,  private  interviews,  always 
if  possible  concluding  with  prayer,  the  gift  of  a  Testament 
or  other  small  token  of  regard,  the  writing  of  occasional 
notes  expressive  of  deep  interest  in  his  spiritual  well-being, 
and  allowing  him  to  see  from  words  and  manner  how  ago- 
nizing is  the  thought  to  his  teacher,  that  he  may  not,  after 
all,  yield  to  your  pleadings  and  those  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Most  men  say,  "If  a  stranger  feels  thus  about  my  soul, 
surely  I  ought  not  to  be  indifferent !" 

I  have  little  confidence  in  death-bed  repentance,  but  do 
not  fail  to  point  the  dying  to  the  Cross  of  Calvary,  and 
read  to  and  pray  with  them. 

I  have  seldom  seen  a  man,  no  matter  how  promising  he 
seemed  while  under  fear  of  death,  who  retained  beyond  a 
few  weeks  after  complete  recovery,  his  serious  impressions. 

My  greatest  hopes  are  centred  upon  those  who  will  prob- 
ably recover ;  I  seek  to  turn  their  thoughts  towards  the  sub- 
ject of  religion,  to  give  them  books  of  a  religious  tendency 
(story-books,  etc.)  quite  as  often  as  religious  treatises,  to 
shower  upon  them  little  attentions,  and  so  to  gain  their  grati- 
tude and  affection  that  they  will  be  ready,  when  they  get 
well,  to  go  to  a  Bible-class,  to  read,  to  pray,  and  thus  to 
begin  the  Christian  life.  The  following  extract  from  my 
journal  may  aid  you  in  miderstanding  our  mode  of  ap- 
proach, and  enable  you  to  aid  us  by  valuable  suggestions : 

On  the  1 2th  of  November,  a  large  number  of  sick  and 
wounded    men    were    brought    to    us,    from    Washington. 

Among  the  wounded  was  F ,  whose  ingenuousness  at 

once  interested  me.  His  wound  was  not  a  severe  one,  and 
he  had  so  far  recovered  from  it  as  to  be  able  to  go  out. 

About  ten  days  before  this,  I  had  commenced  holding  a 
class  for  the  instruction  of  a  few  of  the  men,  but  on  the 
13th  of  November  I  began  a  regular  course  of  biblical 
teaching  on  the  Book  of  Genesis.  There  were  about  twenty 
men  present,  and  as  I  asked  one  after  another  if  he  wished 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


231 


to  be  considered  a  member  of  the  class,  and  would  have 

his  name  put  down  as  such,  I  came  to  F ,  who  answered 

in  the  negative;  yet  I  think  he  was  absent  but  once  from 
that  day  until  he  was  placed  upon  the  guard,  about  six 
weeks  later.  He  came  at  first,  as  he  told  me  afterwards, 
not  from  any  anxiety  about  his  soul,  or  interest  in  spiritual 
things,  but  from  a  simple  desire  to  gain  knowledge. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival,  as  I  was  one  Sunday  morn- 
ing distributing  tracts,  he  and  a  friend  were  seated  together. 
Holding  in  my  hand  the  tract,  ^^I  don't  mean  what  I  say," 
I  said,  *'I  wonder  if  this  tract  would  suit  either  of  you;  it 

is  about  swearing!"     F replied,  "  I  guess  that  will  do 

for  me."     I  gave  him  the  tract  and  passed  on. 

He  had  been  a  great  swearer  during  his  nineteen  months' 
service  in  the  army.  The  question,  the  tract,  and  my  pass- 
ing on  without  saying  anything  more,  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  him.  This  will  show  you  how  teachable  he  was, 
how  ready  the  soil  was  to  receive  the  good  seed  of  God's 
Word,  but  the  devil  was  equally  ready  to  hinder  its  product- 
iveness. His  father  is  an  earnest  and  devoted  Methodist, 
his  mother  died  about  six  years  ago;  but  her  teachings  are 
still  fresh  in  his  mind,  and  her  death-bed  vividly  before 
him,  with  the  earnest,  pleading  look  which  said  more  plainly 
than  words,  "prepare  to  meet  me  in  heaven."  He  always 
meant  to  prepare,  and  once,  when  in  great  danger,  "prom- 
ised" God  that  if  his  life  should  be  spared  he  would  "make 
a  profession." 

Joined  to  a  natural  readiness  to  receive  serious  impres- 
sions, and  the  advantages  resulting  from  early  religious 
influences  (I  cannot  call  it  training),  there  was  great 
ignorance  and  superstition. 

I  have  no  record  of  the  conversations  held  with  F 

during  the  first  six  weeks  he  was  in  the  hospital.  He  ac- 
knowledged the  importance  of  religion,  meant  to  "make  a 
profession"  when  he  went  home,  but  had  many  drawbacks. 


232 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 


such  as  spiritualism,  the  love  of  money,  fear  of  ridicule, 
and  apprehension  of  falling  away.  I  had  to  combat  pre- 
judice and  superstition  at  every  step,  but  had  the  delight  of 
seeing  one  stronghold  after  another  yield  before  the  Word 
and  Spirit  of  God.  I  think  it  was  about  this  time  that  he 
told  me  he  had  always  had  a  desire  to  be  rich,  and  liked  to 
drive  a  hard  bargain,  and  he  knew  he  could  not  consist- 
ently do  so  if  he  were  a  Christian. 

He  has  told  me  since  that  though  he  always  liked  to  have 
me  talk  to  him,  yet  the  continual  presentation  and  discus- 
sion of  the  subject  of  religion  made  him  so  unhappy  that  he 
felt  as  if  he  must  go  away  to  get  rid  of  it ;  yet  his  awakened 
conscience  on  the  other  hand  impelled  him  to  stay.  He 
always  seemed  so  ready  to  talk  on  the  subject  that  I  had  no 
idea  till  long  afterwards  of  the  struggle  going  on  in  his  mind. 

Simday,  December  2^fh. — Had  a  long  and  most  interest- 
ing conversation  with  F .     He  has  given  up  swearing, 

has  prayed  daily  for  the  past  fortnight,  has  an  earnest  desire 
to  serve  Christ,  a  deep  interest  (he  is  unwilling  to  call  it 
love)  in  his  Saviour,  but  is  very  distrustful  of  his  own  feel- 
ings, having  always  been  taught  that  there  can  be  no  true 
conversion  which  is  not  sudden,  and  the  subject  of  it  able 
to  point  to  the  day  and  hour  of  its  occurrence.  I  showed 
him  that  God's  dealings  in  nature  are  gradual,  that  a  better 
test  of  conversion  than  being  able  to  point  back  to  a  fixed 
time  is  to  point  to  present  fruit,  that  he  must  not  look  to 
violent  exercises  of  mind  for  salvation,  but  to  the  finished 
work  of  Christ. 

Wednesday,  December  31^-/. — Another  talk  with  F . 

He  is  afraid  openly  to  profess  himself  a  Christian,  lest  he 
should  draw  back.  I  urged  him  to  take  no  thought  for  the 
morrow,  to  believe  God's  Word,  to  trust  in  his  promises, 
to  rely  only  on  his  grace.  I  then  dwelt  much  on  the  love 
of  the  Saviour.  He  is  passionately  attached  to  his  father, 
and  I  appealed  to  this  love  to  show  what  should  be  his 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  233 

feeling  to  his  heavenly  Father,  and  to  the  Saviour  who  had 
so  loved  him  as  to  bleed  and  die  upon  the  cross  for  him. 
Two  days  after,  I  spent  an  hour  with  him,  when  he  told  me 
that  never  before  Wednesday,  after  our  last  conversation, 
had  he  realized  that  Jesus  died  for  him.  He  feels  now  that 
he  can  give  up  everything  for  Christ,  but  grieves  that  his 
repentance  is  not  deeper  and  his  love  so  cold.  Again,  as 
very  often  afterwards,  I  tried  to  make  him  understand  that 
no  agonies  of  penitence,  no  floods  of  tears,  nothing  in  and 
of  ourselves  would  avail  for  salvation,  but  simple  looking 
out  of  ourselves  to  our  Saviour.  The  lesson  has  now  been 
thoroughly  learned. 

January  6th. — In  the  course  of  a  long  talk  with  F , 

which  satisfied  me  fully  that  he  was  really  a  Christian, — 
though  he  cannot  be  satisfied  of  it  himself,  on  account  of 
the  gradual  nature  of  the  change, — I  said,  '*If  you  were 
sure  you  would  escape  eternal  damnation  now,  without  a 
Saviour,  would  you  be  willing  to  giYt  him  up?"  With 
eyes  full  of  tears  he  said,  '•  Oh,  no,  I  could  not  give  up  my 
Saviour  ! "  "  Could  you  have  said  that  a  few  weeks  ago  ?' ' 
'^No,  all  I  cared  for  then  was  to  escape  damnation." 

The  fear  of  man  was  his  greatest  snare.  He  could  not 
kneel  in  prayer  in  the  presence  of  his  comrades, — could  far 
more  easily  face  the  cannon's  mouth. 

January  Mi. — Read   to   F a  meditation  from   the 

''Earnest  Communicant"  on  the  love  of  Christ.  He  says 
he  felt  the  day  before  yesterday,  while  on  guard,  that  he 
could  do  anything  and  give  up  anything  for  Christ; 
hopes  God  will  help  him  to  feel  so  all  the  time ;  then  he 
will  kneel  in  prayer.  "  Does  God  command  us  to  perform 
our  duties  when  we  feel  like  it,"  said  I,  "or  are  his  com- 
mands absolute?" 

He  first  so  far  conquered  his  fear  of  man  as  to  kneel  in 
church  on  the  loth  of  January;  but  h^felt  like  it  then, 
and  did  xiolfeel  like  it  in  his  room.     It  appeared  almost 

20* 


234  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

impossible  to  persuade  him  that  it  was  positively  wrong 
thus  to  neglect  a  duty.  He  prayed  God  to  help  him  to 
feel  like  performing  it,  and  he  was  waiting  and  expecting 
an  answer  to  his  prayer,  calmly  and  quietly,  sure  that  it 
would  come  in  God's  good  time  ! 

At  last,  January  14th,  I  was  told  F had  publicly  an- 
nounced his  determination  to  live  a  new  life.  He  was  at 
his  post,  on  guard,  as  I  left  that  evening,  and  I  said  to  him, 
**  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  have  made  a  step  in  advance,  and 
I  am  sure  you  feel  the  happier  for  it."  He  assented,  and 
begged  me  to  come  to  his  room  the  next  day,  and  talk  to 
him.  "  But  there  is  almost  always  some  one  in  your  room," 
said  I.  ^'Oh,  I  don't  mind  that  now,"  said  he;  '' T m  not 
afraid  any  7nore  !' ' 

And  so  it  was.  The  next  day  he  poured  out  his  heart  to 
me ;  there  was  no  more  fear,  perfect  trust  in  the  Saviour 
and  a  most  ardent  desire  to  serve  Him  had  cast  out  fear. 
"Everything  seems  different  to  me  now."  He  was 
happy. 

From  this  time  to  the  ist  day  of  February,  when  he  was  bap- 
tized, I  had  almost  daily  conversations  with  him,  encour- 
aging or  instructing  him,  dispelling  prejudice  or  combating 
error.  He  felt  it  a  duty  to  be  baptized,  but  could  not  be- 
lieve in  the  validity  of  any  form  but  immersion ;  prayed 
daily,  but  could  not  think  specific  prayer  suited  to  the  glory 
and  majesty  of  God ;  was  sorry  his  repentance  was  so  shal- 
low, but  believed  God  would  deepen  it  wheu  he  saw  fit, 
etc.  But  the  one  daily  complaint  was  that  he  could  not 
feel  sorry  for  the  sins  of  his  past  life.  "  Do  you  feel  sorry 
for  the  sins  you  now  daily  commit  ?"  ''  Oh,  yes,  they  grieve 
me  very  much ;  but  I  feel  that  the  past  is  all  blotted  out  by 
the  blood  of  Christ."  His  Saviour  was  daily  becoming 
more  precious  to  him,  and  his  faith  was  as  complete  and 
simple  as  that  of  a  little  child.  What  more  could  I  ask? 
Nothing.       And  it  was,  therefore,  with  the  most  perfect 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  ^y 

confidence  and  intense  joy  that  I  saw  him  stand  at  the 
font,  to  enlist  in  baptism,  under  the  great  Captain  of  our 
salvation.  God  grant  he  may  be  a  faithful  soldier  and 
servant  to  his  life's  end  ! 

The  same  day  he  expressed  his  desire  for  confirmation, 
and  said  he  thought  this  Church  nearer  like  that  founded 
by  the  Apostles  than  any  other ;  prefers  forms  of  prayer  for 
public  worship  ;  thinks  a  great  deal  of  confirmation,  etc. 
All  very  remarkable  in  one  who  but  a  short  time  ago  did 
not  believe  in  forms  of  prayer,  thought  them  a  mockery, 
and  did  not  believe  that  any  sincere  worship  could  be 
connected  with  them  ! 

But  more  satisfactory  and  delightful  was  the  tenderness 
of  conscience  evinced  in  his  grief  over  thoughtless  words, 
and  a/^^//>^o- of  anger  which  had  been  instantly  overcome  ; 
also,  in  the  habit  formed  of  never  taking  the  Word  of  God 
in  his  hand  without  prayer  for  the  teaching  of  God's  Holy 
Spirit. 

He,  and  the  others  baptized  at  the  same  time,  com- 
mitted the  Catechism  to  memory,  and  received  instruction 
upon  it.  They  were  confirmed  on  the  27th  of  February, 
and,  on  the  ist  day  of  March,  received  their  first  com- 
munion.    It  was  the  happiest  day  F ever  passed  in  his 

life,  he  told  me. 

I  found  afterwards  that  the  few  days  preceding  his  con- 
firmation had  been  days  of  deep  sorrow  and  self-abasement. 
His  prayer  for  deeper  repentance  was  at  last  answered,  Con- 
science was  awakened,  and  he  desired  that  no  one  should 
speak  soothingly  to  him  or  still  her  voice ;  therefore,  he 
did  not  tell  even  me  of  his  feelings. 

Now  that  he  was  fairly  launched  in  the  Christian  life,  I 
strove  to  impress  upon  him  the  necessity  for  activity  in  it, 
for  doing  something  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good 
of  his  fellow-men. 

I  never  saw  such  rapid  progress  in  the  Christian  life.    Every 


236  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

time  I  talked  with  him  I  was  struck  with  the  increase  of 
his  love  to  his  Saviour,  his  humility  and  tenderness  of  con- 
science. He  was  very  unhappy  one  day  at  having  said 
hastily  to  one  of  his  comrades,  ''  What  the  devil  are  you 
going  in  that  car  for?"  He  was  weighed  and  pressed  down 
by  it,  felt  he  could  not  be  a  Christian,  but  at  last  found 
peace  and  comfort  in  the  assurance  that  ^^the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  from  ^z/Zsin." 

Again,  he  was  extremely  anxious  to  be  sent  home  at  the 
end  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  and  much  troubled  at  the 
report  that  he  and  all  the  two  years'  men  were  to  be  re- 
tained ;  but  after  awhile  he  could  say  that  he  did  not  care 
one  way  or  another  about  it,  for  he  knew  it  would  be  all 
arranged  for  him  as  his  heavenly  Father  saw  would  be 
best. 

When  the  report  of  the  breaking-up  of  the  hospital  was 
confirmed,  and  he  found  he  was  soon  to  return  to  his  regi- 
ment, he  was  very  fearful  of  the  temptations  of  camp  life, 
and  dreaded  lest  he  should  be  led  away.  Some  time  after, 
he  told  me  he  did  not  feel  afraid  of  those  temptations.  I 
told  him  I  was  sorry  to  hear  it,  for  I  was  afraid  he  did  not 
realize  his  own  weakness  as  he  should.  ''That's  the  very 
reason,"  said  he;  ''I  feel  that  I  have  no  strength  in  my- 
self, and  it  is  because  I  can  now  trust  entirely  in  my 
Saviour,  that  I  feel  that  I  shall  be  kept  from  falling."  My 
own  weak  faith  was  rebuked.  Again,  speaking  with  him 
about  prayer,  I  asked  if  he  were  ever  now  troubled  with 
wandering  thoughts.  He  said,  ''Yes,  a  great  deal,  in  pub- 
lic worship  and  social  prayer  particularly."  "Why,  how 
is  that  ?  you  know  you  told  me  a  few  weeks  ago  that  your 
thoughts  did  not  wander  much  in  prayer,"  "Ah,"  said 
he,  with  a  meaning  smile,  "  it  was  because  I  did  not  notice 
so  much  then." 

He  has  now  returned  to  his  regiment,  with  the  most  ar- 
dent desire  and  determination  to  do  all  the  good  he  can. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


237 


He  hopes  to  establish  a  Bible-class,  and  though  every  ounce 
in  a  soldier's  baggage  tells,  he  had  loaded  himself  with 
religious  books  and  tracts  for  distribution  among  ''  the 
boys." 


UTILIZING    POWER. 

Spiritual  and  moral  power  are,  to  a  large  extent,  in- 
trusted to  man,  to  utilize  for  his  own  benefit,  and  for  that 
of  his  fellows,  and  a  fearful  responsibility  accompanies  this 
sacred  trust.  It  would  seem  that  the  incentive  of  self-in- 
terest should  suffice  for  the  full  development  of  the  me- 
chanical power  that  is  also  intrusted  to  man  ;  but  experience 
demonstrates  that  even  this  strong  motive  must  be  intensi- 
fied before  it  achieves  its  highest  results.  Opposition,  or  a 
strong  competition  in  business,  usually  creates  the  necessity 
that  is  the  mother  of  invention ;  and  as  that  stimulus 
abounds  in  this  Republic,  and  the  inventive  faculty  is  not 
restrained  by  hereditary  usages,  the  United  States  is  fore- 
most in  utilizing  mechanical  power. 

Should  not  this  be  equally  true  of  the  Church  in  this  free 
country,  and  is  not  God  allowing  her  to  be  exposed  to  vio- 
lent opposition  and  active  competition,  to  incite  her  chil- 
dren to  use  more  effectively  the  spiritual  power  that  He  so 
freely  proffers?  If  these  are  allowed  to  proceed  too  far, 
despondency  will  ensue,  and  surely  opposition  is  now  strong 
enough  to  arouse  the  Church  to  a  sense  of  her  danger  and 
of  her  duty.  With  large  classes  of  Church-forsaken  men 
and  lads,  profanity  and  intemperance  have  full  sway,  for 
soul-destroying  irreverence  is  almost  universal  with  the 
working  class,  and  good-fellowship  being  cultivated  and 
expressed  by  the  use  of  intoxicating  drink,  this  dangerous 


238  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

cuslom  is  yielding  a  bountiful  harvest  of  crime.  That  com- 
petition also  has  progressed  equally  far,  is  evidenced  by  the 
present  position  of  a  corrupt  Church,  whose  principles  are 
hostile  to  republican  institutions.  Rome  has  surveyed  this 
land  througli  its  length  and  breadth,  warily  fortifying  every 
important  point,  and  now  she  boldly  unmasks  her  batteries, 
revealing  the  fact  that  they  are  fully  manned  with  the  lay 
force  that  is  the  main  reliance  of  Protestantism.  Rome 
theoretically  rests  solely  on  priestly  power ;  but  in  this 
republic,  where  volunteer  force  has  achieved  such  wonders, 
she  has  been  actively  drilling  each  member  of  her  Church, 
compacting  and  organizing  them  through  her  sodalities  and 
other  associations,  and  now  she  is  utilizing  their  power  to 
the  utmost,  in  all  her  educational,  political,  and  proselyting 
schemes. 

When  our  Church  is  thus  assaulted  on  both  sides,  a  ne- 
cessity is  laid  upon  her  to  bestir  herself,  and  not,  like  God's 
host  in  olden  time,  to  remain  inert  and  trembling,  waiting 
for  some  youthful  David  to  utilize  a  power  that  is  now  with- 
in the  reach  of  each  child  of  God.  May  not  the  divine 
will  have  been  already  indicated  by  successes  achieved  in 
several  parishes  and  missionary  stations,  where  there  is  no 
remarkable  eloquence  or  other  unusual  accompaniments? 
As  the  little  turbine  utilizes  more  power  than  the  large 
water-wheel,  and  can  more  successfully  contend  against 
frost  and  flood,  so  it  seems  by  the  following  narrative,  that, 
under  the  direction  of  a  rector,  a  lay  Bible-class  accom- 
plished much  more  than  clerical  cottage  lectures ;  because 
they  are  wasteful  of  strength,  and  effect  so  little  in  giving 
systematic  instruction,  or  in  compacting  the  hearers  and 
grafting  them  into  the  Church.  But  the  incorporation  of 
the  independent  working  class  into  the  Episcopal  Church 
cannot  be  effected  through  mission  chapels  where  the  min- 
ister is  not  supported  by  the  presence  of  a  band  of  intelli- 
gent and  zealous  lay  co-workers.    Neither  can  it  be  effected 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


239 


where  the  parish  church  becomes  virtually  a  private  chapel, 
by  the  sale  or  rental  of  its  pews,  unless  the  proprietors 
realize  their  responsibility,  just  as  the  possessor  of  a  life- 
boat does  when  men  are  drowning  around  him.  Much 
power  from  on  high  will  be  required  to  produce  this  needed 
change,  compelling  Christians  to  adopt  some  measure  that 
gives  the  promise  of  converting  the  world ;  now  that  the 
increasing  cost  of  building  and  maintaining  churches  pro- 
motes such  exclusiveness  that  even  persons  of  limited  means 
know  not  where  to  worship. 

At  present  even  the  Sunday-school  cannot  compete  with 
homes  of  intemperance  and  profanity ;  but  when  such  fam- 
ilies shall  have  been  renovated  and  watched  over  by  the 
means  indicated  in  the  following  paper,  then  the  work  will 
be  comparatively  easy,  for  an  examination  of  our  worship- 
ing assemblies  reveals  an  extent  of  intelligence  and  power 
that  will,  if  properly  utilized,  overcome  all  opposition  and 
rise  superior  to  every  competitor.  W. 

My  dear  Sir, — You  asked  me  to  send  you  an  account 
of  our  mission, — when  it  was  started,  how  the  work  had 
progressed,  and  what  we  are  doing  to-day  in  this  quiet 
corner  of  the  Lord's  vineyard.     I  must  tell  you  that  I  was 

not  first  on  the  field  at  the  hamlet  of  C .     As  long  ago 

as  i860,  the  rector  of  our  parish  established  cottage  read- 
ings there,  gathering  a  small  number  of  men  and  women 
together  for  prayer  and  religious  instruction  in  the  house 
of  one  of  their  number. 

I  cannot  give  you  any  particulars  of  this  part  of  the  mis- 
sion work  ;  how  often  the  lectures  were  held,  nor  what  was 
the  result  of  our  pastor's  labors ;  but  I  remember  that  in  the 
spring  of  1863  several  persons  who  had  attended  the  ser- 
vices in   C were  confirmed.     During  the  winter  of 

1864  the  lectures  were  continued,  the  number  in  attend- 
ance, at  times,  being  as  high  as  twenty-five;    but  as  the 


240  WOMEN  HELPERS   IN   THE    CHURCH, 

season  advanced,  they  became  less  regular,  and  in  the 
spring  they  ceased  altogether. 

It  was  in  the  following  autumn  that  I  first  became  inter- 
ested in  the  condition  of  these  and  other  families  resident 
in  that  vicinity.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  persons  who 
attended  our  Church,  all  were  strangers  to  me,  and  little 
did  I  dream  that  there  was  a  field,  white  unto  the  harvest, 
lying  at   our  very  doors.     One  day,  hearing  that  a  sick 

woman  in  C desired  me  to  visit  her,  I  started  for  her 

house.     Passing  down  N Street,  I  met  a  little  boy  and 

inquired  of  him  the  way,  and  who  lived  in  the  cottages 
along  the  roadside.  He  seemed  very  much  surprised  at 
my  ignorance,  and  hastened  to  give  me  all  the  information 
I  required.     After  mentioning  the  names  of  several  families, 

he  said,   ^'That's  Mr,  M 's  house,  where  the  minister 

used  to  preach  to  the  people  around  here."  "And  where 
do  they  go  to  church  now?"  said  I.  "They  don't  go  any- 
where," was  his  reply;  "the  churches  are  too  far  off." 
Meantime  we  had  reached  the  house  of  my  sick  friend,  and, 
thanking  my  little  guide  for  his  kindness,  I  bade  him  good- 
by,  promising  to  visit  his  mother  before  long.  In  the 
course  of  conversation  with  the  sick  woman,  whom  I  will 

call  Mrs.  B ,  I  asked  her  about  the  cottage  lectures,  and 

whether  she  thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  hold  a  Bible- 
class  in  one  of  their  houses.  She  seemed  delighted  at  the 
proposal,  and  said  that  she  knew  of  six  or  eight  who  would 
be  glad  to  come  to  it.  I  read  and  explained  a  few  verses 
of  Scripture  to  her,  and  then  we  prayed  together,  asking 
for  the  guidance  and  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  work 
before  us.     The  next  day  was  Saturday,  and  early  in  the 

morning  I  started  for  C ,  going  first  to  the  house  of 

Mrs.  M .     I  told  her  of  my  plan,  and  asked  her  if  she 

were  willing  that  the  first  meeting  should  be  held  at  her 
house,  to  which  she  kindly  assented.  I  visited  all  the 
families  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  inviting  them  to 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


241 


our  class  the  next  day.  I  need  not  tell  you  how  differently 
my  invitation  was  received  by  different  individuals.  Some 
*' couldn't  promise;"  some  ••  expected  to  be  away  from 
home;"  some  ''hadn't  been  to  church  for  years,  and 
thought  that  they  would  not  begin  now."  A  few  posi- 
tively refused,  and  of  all  that  I  visited,  only  six  promised  to 
attend.  I  thought  of  our  recent  hospital  work,  of  the  num- 
bers who  met  together  daily  for  the  study  of  God's  Word 
and  prayer,  and  my  unbelieving  heart  said,  "What  are 
these  among  so  many?"  But  when  I  thought  of  the  worth 
of  one  immortal  soul,  and  of  the  help  vouchsafed  to  those 
who  believe,  I  determined  at  least  to  try. 

Sunday  afternoon  came,  and  at  the  appointed  time  I  was 

at  Mrs.  M 's.     I  had  previously  sent  down  a  supply  of 

Testaments  and  Prayer-Books,  and  took  with  me  several 
packages  of  tracts.  To  my  surprise  I  found  eleven  persons 
waiting  for  me,  some  of  them  the  very  men  who  had  most 
decidedly  refused  to  come.  After  speaking  a  few  words  to 
them,  we  opened  the  class  by  singing  a  hymn,  and  then 
knelt  in  prayer,  using  the  General  Confession,  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  others  which  I  had  selected  from  the  Prayer- 
Book,  asking  the  blessing  of  God  upon  our  work,  and  the 
help  and  guidance  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  I  then  read  to  them 
the  gospel  for  the  day,  dwelling  at  length  on  a  few  verses, 
and  asking  questions  of  the  class  in  a  general  way.  In  the 
course  of  the  lesson  I  referred  to  the  work  before  us, — its 
object,  and  the  difficulties  which  we  must  expect  to  en- 
counter, and  asked  their  hearty  co-operation  by  prayer  and 
daily  effort  to  induce  others  to  join  us.  We  closed  with 
prayer  and  singing  the  75th  hymn,  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit, 
Heavenly  Dove,"  and  then  I  distributed  Testaments  and 
Prayer-Books  among  them,  and  lent  each  one  a  book  to 
read  during  the  week. 

I  learned,  through  one  of  the  scholars,  that  a  large  num- 
ber of  men  in  that  neighborhood  were  employed  in  the 

L  21 


242  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

mills,  just  below  N Street,  and  on  further  inquiry,  I  found 

that  most  of  them  were  Englishmen,  several  of  whom  had 
but  lately  arrived  in  the  country.     I  determined  at  once  to 

make  myself  known  to  Mr.  W ,  the  owner  of  the  mill, 

and  asked  him  to  tell  the  men  about  the  Bible-class,  and 
when  the  next  would  be  held.  He  kindly  gave  me  per- 
mission to  visit  the  mills  at  certain  hours  of  the  day,  when 
many  hands  would  be  idle  and  I  would  have  opportunity 
to  invite  them  myself,  and  he  offered  to  do  all  in  his  powei 
to  further  the  good  cause,  ''For  there  is  need  enough  of 
such  work  in  these  parts."  Moreover,  he  invited  me  to  go 
through  the  mill  with  him,  which  offer  I  gladly  accepted; 
and  as  we  passed  through  the  various  departments,  I  spoke 
to  the  men,  and  urged  them  to  meet  with  us  on  the  follow- 
ing Sunday.  The  result  was  very  much  the  same  as  in  the 
first  instance, — they  all  (or  nearly  all)  began,  with  one  con- 
sent, to  make  excuse.  Changing  my  tactics,  I  asked  them 
as  a  favor  to  give  us  a  trial,  it  could  do  no  harm ;  I  would 
detain  them  but  one  hour.  "And  besides,"  said  I  to  one 
who  seemed  most  apt  in  finding  excuses,  "  there  is  some- 
thing diOowt you  in  our  Sunday  lesson."  His  last  plea  had 
been  that  he  had  promised  his  wife  to  ride  to  the  neigh- 
boring town  on  Sunday  afternoon.  *'  Well,"  said  he,  ''  if 
that  is  the  case,  I  suppose  that  there  is  no  escaping,  and  if 

H will  promise  to  go  with  me,  you  may  see  me."    "  I 

won't  promise  that,"  said  H ,  "  for  if  I  do  I  must  keep 

my  word."      ''  That  is  exactly  why  I  want  you  to  do  so," 

I  replied.      "■  Well,"  said  H ,  "  if  it  is  possible  for  me 

to  be  there  I  will  come."  "  And  bring  as  many  with  you 
as  you  can,"  I  added  ;  ''  your  example  will  do  more  in  this 
matter  than  all  that  I  can  say,  to  induce  your  friend  to  join 

us."     And  so  we  parted.     On  leaving  the  mills,  Mr.  W 

said  to  me,  "  You  have  made  a  good  beginning  ;  that  young 
man  will  be  a  great  help  to  you  if  he  becomes  interested  in 
the  class  himself." 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  243 

I  waited  anxiously  for  Sunday  to  come,  improving  the 
days  intervening  in  visiting  the  homes  of  my  new  ac- 
quaintances, and  learning  all  that  I  could  of  their  personal 
history.  Beyond  this,  I  could  only  pray  to  God  to  keep 
alive  in  the  hearts  of  these  men  this  newly-awakened  in- 
terest, and  to  guide  and  direct  my  paths.  It  was  a  sore 
disappointment  to  me  when  I  awoke  on  Sunday  morning  to 
find  that  it  was  raining.  There  will  be  no  class  to-day, 
thought  I,  for  the  weather  will  prove  sufficient  excuse  for 
all  who  will  feel  unwilling  to  come.  But  I  determined  to 
go  myself,  believing  that  the  example  of  the  teacher  has 
great  weight  with  the  scholar. 

I  found,  to  my  delight,  a  class  of  seventeen  assembled 

at  Mrs.   M 's,  and  among  them  was    H and  his 

friend,  who  had  also  brought  a  companion  with  him  ;  his 
wife,  whom  he  had  persuaded  to  postpone  the  promised 
ride,  and  come  to  the  Bible-class,  '^  to  hear  something 
about  him. ' '  The  subject  of  my  lesson  was  the  parable  of 
the  great  Supper.  When  I  came  to  the  verse,  *'And  a 
third  said,  I  have  married  a  wife,  and  therefore  I  cannot 

come,"  I  saw  that  W (my  new  acquaintance),  who  was 

listening  attentively,  colored  deeply  and  glanced  at  H , 

who  nodded  his  head  and  smiled ;  but  as  I  enlarged  upon 
the  great  truths  of  the  parable,  H 's  countenance  as- 
sumed a  serious  expression,  and  while  we  sang  the  closing 
hymn,  "  Hasten,  sinner,  to  be  wise,"  he  sat  still,  absorbed 
apparently  in  deep  thought.  All  who  were  present  asked 
me  to  add  their  names  to  the  list  of  members  of  the  Bible- 
class.  Many  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  having  yielded 
to  my  invitation,  and  one  remarked,  '^  If  this  thing  goes 

on,  it  will  soon  tell  on  A 'sand  B 's,"  mentioning 

two  of  the  lager-beer  saloons  in  that  neighborhood.  '^  In- 
deed, I  expect  that  they  wonder  where  a  good  many  of  us 
are  this  afternoon."  I  gave  Testaments  to  those  who  had 
none,  and  some  appeared  as  much  pleased  at  receiving  their 


244  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

present  as  if  they  had  been  little  children.  "I  always 
meant,"  said  one  man,  "to  buy  myself  a  Bible;  but  my 
money  never  seemed  to  stay  by  me  long  enough  for  me  to 
get  one.  I  suppose,  too,  that  I  liked  better  to  spend  it  for 
other  things. ' ' 

I  cannot  attempt  to  give  you  even  an  imperfect  sketch 
of  the  work  during  the  winter  of  1865,  or  of  the  many  cases 
in  which  I  felt  most  deeply  interested.  It  was  not  without 
its  trials  and  disappointments.  Often  I  would  return  from 
the  class  with  a  heavy  heart,  feeling  that  little  or  no  im- 
]:>ression  had  been  made  on  the  minds  of  those  who  were 
most  constantly  in  my  thoughts  and  prayers.  And  then  the 
depressing  sense  of  the  many  things  left  unsaid,  which,  by 
the  grace  of  God  might  have  been  a  help  and  blessing  to 
some  soul  yet  out  of  Christ  !  How  many  times  have  those, 
just  awakening  to  an  interest  in  heavenly  things,  been  in- 
duced by  evil  counsel  or  ridicule  to  absent  themselves  from 
the  Bible-class  ! — and  I  always  found  it  harder  to  bring  such 
back  than  to  gain  their  consent  to  come  when  I  first  in- 
vited them.  And  yet  withal,  the  work  prospered,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1866  the  class  numbered  upwards  of  fifty 
members.  Beside  the  class  on  Sundays,  we  began  a  course 
of  study  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which  we  continued 
during  the  winter,  meeting  every  Wednesday  evening.  The 
evening  class  was  better  attended  than  that  held  on  Sunday, 
many  of  the  women  being  unable  to  leave  their  families 
through  the  day. 

The  interest  manifested  by  many  of  them  in  the  success  of 
our  mission,  was  a  source  of  great  comfort  and  encourage- 
ment to  me.  "  A  woman's  work  is  never  done,"  as  those 
mothers  can  testify,  who  labor  from  morning  till  night  to 
provide  for  their  households ;  and  yet  when  night  came, 
and  the  little  ones  were  safe  in  bed,  these  women  would 
leave  their  work  to  meet  with  us  for  prayer  and  the  study 
of  God's  Word.     Often  I  would  be  surprised  to  see  them 


THEIR   SAYIXGS  AND   DOINGS.  245 

at  the  evening  class,  knowing  that  they  had  worked^©  hard 
all  day ;  for,  going  in  and  out  among  them  at  all  hours,  I 
could  appreciate  the  effort  they  made  in  coming.     Once  I 

remonstrated  with  Mrs.  D ,  and  told  her  that  she  ought 

to  have  stayed  at  home  and  tried  to  take  a  little  rest,  for  I 
saw  that  she  was  very  tired.  "  That  is  just  the  reason  why  I 
came,"  she  said,  *'  for  it  rests  me  more  than  anything  else 
can  do,  to  leave  my  work  and  come  up  here  for  a  little 
while.  Oh,"  she  added,  and  her  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
"it  is  so  pleasant  to  hear  the  singing ;  and  when  we  pray 
together,  it  makes  me  feel  so  quiet  !  We  used  to  have  a 
Bible-class  where  I  lived  in  England,  but  since  we  came  to 
this  country  I  have  never  been  able  to  attend  one.  I  won- 
der that  church  people  do  so  little  of  this  work.''  I  made  no 
answer,  but  I  asked  myself.  Is  it  from  ignorance,  or  want 
of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  we,  his  followers,  are 
losing  such  opportunities  of  spreading  the  knowledge  of  the 
gospel  of  salvation  ? 

During  the  winter  we  began  a  course  of  study  on  the 
Catechism.  Several  of  the  class  had  become  alive  to  a 
sense  of  their  need  of  the  Saviour,  and  their  own  sinfulness 
and  ingratitude  in  so  long  neglecting  his  off"ers  of  mercy. 
Among  those  who  seemed  to  feel  most  deeply  on  the  sub- 
ject were  H and  his  friend  C ,  in  whom  the  work 

of  God's  Holy  Spirit  was  most  evident;  and  never  was  I 
more  fully  conscious  of  our  insufficiency  for  these  things 
than  in  the  case  of  that  man.  In  his  younger  days  he  had 
given  some  thought  to  these  matters,  but  had  put  off  the 
great  question  till  he  should  have  a  more  convenient  sea- 
son. Meantime,  coming  in  contact  with  certain  persons 
who  ignored  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  the  authority  of 
the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God  j  he  listened  to  their  argu- 
ments, and  read  the  works  of  Payne  and  other  infidel 
writers,  in  order,  as  he  said,  to  satisfy  his  mind  on  the  sub- 
ject.    The  result  of  this  was  that  I  found  him,  in  his  latter 


246  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

years,  a  stranger  to  the  promises  of  God ;  regarding  the 
great  doctrine  of  salvation  in  Christ  Jesus  as  a  matter  of 
little  importance,  if  not  altogether  "unreasonable." 

I  afterwards  learned  that  his  motive  in  consenting  to 
attend  the  class  was  simply  **  to  hear  my  views  on  the  sub- 
ject," and,  by  close  questioning,  to  make  me  acknowledge 
that  certain  passages  in  the  Bible  were  wholly  contradictory. 
Almost  every  time  he  would  come  prepared  with  some  "un- 
answerable argument"  in  favor  of  his  views,  and  would 
study  the  lesson  in  advance,  in  hope  of  finding  something 
which  was  not  consonant  with  the  doctrine  of  regeneration. 
"  It  stands  to  reason  that  it  cannot  be,"  he  would  say,  and 
that  was  enough  to  satisfy  his  mind  as  to  the  soundness  of 
any  teaching  not  consonant  with  his  own  views.  Still,  it 
was  very  evident  that  his  soul  was  ill  at  ease,  and  I  noticed  a 
change  in  his  manner  when  asking  for  information ;  it  was 
no  longer  that  of  one  who  asks  but  to  object  and  ridicule, 
but  of  one  who  is  honestly  seeking  after  the  truth.  One  day 
he  said  to  me,  "  I  wish  I  could  see  these  things  as  some  do  ; 
but  I  suppose  that  it  was  not  meant  that  I  should."     "  And 

why  do  you  think  so,  C ?"    "  Because  the  harder  I  try 

to  understand  such  passages  as  this  (pointing  to  the  words, 
*  For  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  his  only  be- 
gotten Son,'  etc.),  my  mind  becomes  confused."  "And 
what  do  you  do  then?"      "  Do?  why,  I  give  it  up  and  try 

to  forget  it."      "Suppose  we  try  another  way,  C .   Do 

you  ever  ask  God  to  make  these  things  plain  to  you  ?  Do 
you  ever  pray?"  "  No,"  said  he,  "I  am  not  a  hypocrite; 
and  besides,  what  good  could  it  do  to  pray  if  I  don't  be- 
lieve in  it?"  "  Let  us  ask  God  to  make  us  believe;  may 
I  pray  for  you?"  And,  closing  the  door,  I  knelt  beside 
him,  and  asked  that  God  would  in  his  mercy  enlighten  the 
mind  of  his  servant,  and  lead  him  to  the  knowledge  of 
his  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour;  that  He 
would  give  him  the  spirit  of  a  little  child,  and  enable  him 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS,  247 

to  receive  in  faith  what  he  could  not  understand.  Mean- 
while C had  risen  from  his  seat,  and  was  walking  up 

and  down  the  room  with  an  expression  of  painful  anxiety 
upon  his  countenance  that  touched  my  heart.  At  length 
he  stopped,  and,  standing  for  an  instant  by  my  side,  we 
knelt  together  and  he  repeated  with  me  the  Lord's  Prayer. 
It  was  a  hard  struggle,  and  nothing  but  the  all-subduing 
power  of  the  Spirit  of  God  could  have  brought  that  man, 
in  the  attitude  of  a  suppliant,  before  his  Saviour.  I  after- 
ward spoke  to  him  of  the  long-suffering  goodness  of  God  ; 
how  long  the  Saviour  had  borne  with  him ;  how  ready  He 
was  to  receive  and  save  him  now,  though  it  were  the  eleventh 

hour.      "Will  you  pray  to-night,  C ?"      "If  I  can," 

he  answered.  "  We  have  all  tried  a  great  many  ways  which 
promised  to  give  us  peace  and  satisfaction,  and  they  have 
done  us  no  good  whatever;  now  we  will  try  God's  way.'' 
And,  saying  this,  I  put  into  his  hand  a  copy  of  that  in- 
valuable little  book,  God's  Way  of  Peace,  with  the  beauti- 
ful hymn,  "Just  as  I  am."  Then  I  left  him,  promising  to 
come  again  the  following  day,  and  to  remember  him  in  my 
prayers. 

For  weeks  I  visited  him  almost  daily;  at  times,  stopping 
only  to  say  a  few  words  of  encouragement,  and  again  pass- 
ing an  hour  or  tvro  with  him  in  the  study  of  the  Bible  and 
in  prayer.  I  remember  that  he  read  Bishop  Mcllvaine's 
"Evidences  of  Christianity"  with  great  interest,  and  was 
constantly  comparing  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  I 
urged  him  to  talk  freely  with  our  pastor,  and  to  go  to  him 
without  hesitation  for  spiritual  advice. 

I  wish  that  I  could  remember,  more  perfectly,  many  of 
our  conversations  at  that  time;  there  were  so  many  doubts 
and  questionings,  so  much  of  the  old  spirit  of  unbelief  to 
contend  with  still,  and  yet  the  quiet  work  of  the  Spirit 
going  on  within  his  heart,  convincing  him  more  and  more 
of  his  sinfulness,  and  leading  him,  in  answer  to  his  prayers. 


248  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

to  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world. 

When  once  his  mind  fomid  rest  in  his  Lord  and  Saviour, 
his  great  desire  was  to  confess  Him  openly,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months  he  was  confirmed  with  others  of 
our  number.  Is  there  not  a  great  deal  in  such  a  case  as  his 
to  encourage  those  of  us  who  are  striving  to  win  souls  to 
Christ,  and  sometimes  feeling  very  much  disheartened  be- 
cause we  see  so  little  immediate  result  of  our  labor?  We 
are  apt  to  forget  that  our  strength  springs  from  our  con- 
sciousness of  weakness,  and  that  prayer  and  the  Spirit  of 
God  can  prevail  where  mere  human  strength  can  accom- 
plish but  little; "and  now,  when  disposed  at  times  to  say 
*'it  is  of  no  use,"  I  think  of  this  instance  of  the  power  of 
God's  grace,  and  take  fresh  courage  to  persevere  unto  the 
end. 

With  H ,  who  was  confirmed  at  the  same  time,  the 

change  was  no  less  evident.    Two  men  could  not  have  been 

more  unlike  than  he  and  his  neighbor  C .     While  the 

latter  was  disposed  to  reject  all  that  did  not  coincide  with 
his  own  views, — counting  it  unworthy  of  a  being  endowed 
■with  reasoning  faculties  to  accept  what  he  could  not  under- 
stand,— the  former  had  never  given  any  serious  thought  to 
spiritual  things.  He  would  read  his  Bible  ^'because  there 
were  so  many  beautiful  passages  contained  in  it,"  and  he 
loved  to  hear  it  ^^  well  read  and  explained."  He  could 
not  understand  what  satisfaction  there  could  be  in  reading 
the  Bible,  if  we  had  made  up  our  minds  to  disagree  with 
everything  in  it.  He  was  satisfied  that  it  was  the  Word  of 
God,  and  if  he  found  anything  there  beyond  his  compre- 
hension, he  was  willing  to  pass  it  by  for  the  present, 
believing  that  the  fault  was  in  himself.  His  character  was 
a  strange  combination  of  strength  and  weakness,  disposed 
to  give  up  anything  too  readily  when  difficulties  presented 
themselves,  but  if  once  his  interest  was  enlisted,  he  would 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  249 

persevere, until  he  found  what  he  sought.  Always  inclined 
to  doubt  his  own  judgment,  and  hearing  so  many  con- 
flicting opinions  on  the  subject  of  religion,  he  had  thought 
it  best  to  leave  it  alone,  and  try  to  live  as  near  right  as  he 
could.  ''And  I  find  it  hard  enough  to  do  that,''^  said  he, 
''without  attempting  anything  else."  "You  are  trying  to 
do  something  beyond  the  strength  of  man,"  said  I.  "You 
need  the  help  of  God.     You  are  like  a  soldier  going  out 

unarmed  to  meet  the  enemy."      "You  mean,"  said  H , 

"that  r ought  to  be  a  Christian,  and  I  wish  I  were.  But  I 
know  that  I  could  not  live  up  to  what  is  required,  and  I 
should  not  want  to  go  back  after  having  once  begun."  On 
questioning  him  closely,  I  found  that  the  love  of  God,  in 
Christ  Jesus,  was  something  he  could  not  receive. 

"I  believe  it  is  every  man's  duty  to  be  a  Christian,  and 
I  do  try  to  do  what  is  right,  but  when  I  hear  others  speak 
of  the  love  of  God,  I  can't  understand  it,  my  only  feeling 
is  that  of  fear.  I  suppose  that  when  I  am  a  better  man  I 
shall  love  Him,  and  then  I  shall  feel  that  He  loves  me  too.'' 
"We  love  him  because  he  first  loved  us,"  was  my  reply. 
"Come  to  the  class  to-night,"  I  added,  as  he  shook  his 
head  doubtfully  at  these  words,  "and  perhaps  you  may  hear 
something  which  will  help  you."     He  came  in  company 

with  his  friend  C ,  and  as  I  looked  on  these  two  men,  so 

different  in  disposition  and  tone  of  mind,  the  one  then  un- 
willing to  forsake  the  worship  of  his  idol  '* reason"  (as  he 
deemed  it),  the  other,  so  ignorant  of  our  true  relation  to. 
God,  and  of  his  love  towards  us,  I  could  only  commit  them 
to  his  mercy,  whose  grace  is  able  to  subdue  the  proud 
spirit,  and  give  light  to  those  who  are  in  darkness. 

I  have  never  met  with  one  whose  mind  was  more  firmly 
impressed  with  the  idea  of  winning  God's  favor  by  our  own 

merits,  than  in  the  case  of  H .     He  looked  upon  God 

as  our  heavenly  Father,  so  far  as  the  duty  of  obedience  and 
reverence  was  concerned,  and  believed  that  He  regarded  us 

L* 


250  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

with  favor  according  to  our  own  righteousness.     And,  oh, 

how  many  have  I  met  with,  who,  like  H ,  are  trying  to 

keep  God's  commands,  and  "live  as  near  right  as  they 
can,"  without  the  strength  and  consolation  of  that  love 
which  passeth  understanding;  souls  that  only  needed  to 
realize  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  to  induce  them  to 
seek  his  mercy,  and  ''find  peace  and  joy  in  believing!" 

"My  mistake,"  said  H ,  "Has  been  this,  that  in  trying 

to  do  right,  /  have  begun  at  the  wro7ig  end.  I  was  trying 
to  be  a  good  man  first,  and  then  I  hoped  that  I  should  begin 
to  love  God ;  and  even  now,  when  I  think  of  all  that  He 
has  done  for  me,  //  seems  too  good  to  believe.'"' 

"Think  of  it,"  said  another  to  me,  shortly  after  confir- 
mation. "A  year  ago  to-day  you  stopped  at  the  place  where 
three  of  us  were  at  work,  and  asked  us  to  come  to  the  class 
that  night;  don't  you  remember  about  it?"  "No,"  said 
I ;  "but  what  did  you  do?"  "After  you  left  us,  we  had  a 
good  laugh,  and  one  of  the  men  said,  '  I  would  walk  a  mile 

to  see  S in  a  Bible-class,  trying  to  look  sober.'     I  told 

him  that  there  was  no  fear  of  my  going  to  such  places  at 
present;  but  that  night  I  kept  thinking  of  what  you  had 
said,  and  at  last  I  took  my  hat  and  went  up  to  Mrs.  M's. 
When  I  got  there,  I  felt  ashamed  to  come  in,  and  so  I  went 
around  to  the  kitchen  and  sat  outside  to  listen.  And  when 
you  told  me  the  next  day  how  sorry  you  were  not  to  see  me 
at  the  class,  I  felt  just  as  if  I  had  been  caught  stealing." 

Meantime  our  class  had  so  increased  in  members  that  it 
was  found  necessary  to  provide  another  place  for  us.  Our 
pastor  laid  the  matter  before  the  congregation;  a  collection 
was  soon  after  taken  in  the  church  for  our  benefit,  and  a 
sum  was  raised  sufficient  to  erect  a  building  suited  to  our 
wants.  This  was  completed  in  the  autumn  of  1866,  and 
now  begins  a  new  era  in  our  mission-work,  of  which  I  will 
tell  you  in  another  paper. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  25 1 


UTILIZED   POWER. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  told  you  in  my  last  of  the  progress  of 
our  mission-work  during  the  winter  of  1865  and  the  follow- 
ing spring,  when  the  building  of  our  chapel  was  proposed. 
This  was  completed  in  the  autumn,  and  it  was  a  happy 
day  to  us  all  when  we  first  assembled  there  for  religious 
service.  Many  of  the  old  congregation  and  others  inter- 
ested in  the  cause  were  present  to  join  with  us  in  the  wor- 
ship of  God,  besides  a  large  number  attracted  by  curiosity 
or  the  example  of  their  neighbors. 

Many  had  held  back  heretofore,  under  the  plea  that  they 
were  strangers  to  Mrs.  W ,  and  it  would  seem  like  intru- 
sion on  their  part  to  come  to  the  Bible-class  at  her  house, 
notwithstanding  my  assurance  that  they  were  always  wel- 
come. Others  argued  with  more  plausibility  that  there  was 
not  room,  but  now  that  the  church  had  provided  a  suitable 
place  for  them  all,  they  were  forced  to  acknowledge  that  there 
was  no  longer  any  good  ground  for  *an  excuse.  I  alluded 
in  the  Bible-class,  to  the  goodness  of  God  in  thus  prosper- 
ing our  undertaking  and  making  the  way  plain  before  us, 
and  said  that  the  best  proof  we  could  give  of  our  gratitude 
would  be  a  prayerful  devotedness  to  his  service.  There 
was  no  one  of  our  number  who  seemed  happier  in  the  en- 
joyment of  our  present  blessings,  or  more  hopeful  of  the 

future  than  H .      "  If  prayer  and  our  own  efforts  will 

insure  us  the  help  of  God,"  he  said,  ''I  feel  confident  that  we 
shall  succeed.  Several  of  us  have  agreed  to  pray  for  each 
other,  and  do  all  that  we  can  to  bring  our  friends  to  the 

chapel.    B and  I  talked  the  matter  over  last  night,  and 

I  told  him  that  it  would  not  do  to  be  so  thankful  about  our- 
selves as  to  forget  others. ' ' 

It  was  with  deep  interest  that  I  watched  the  growth  of 
grace  in  these  young  disciples  of  Christ,  and  how  the  influ- 


252  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

ence  of  one,  either  for  good  or  evil,  would  affect  the  rest  of 
our  number ;  and  I  have  often  found  that  one  of  the  strong- 
est arguments  which  I  could  use  to  incite  them  to  earnest 
effort,  was  the  weight  of  their  influence  upon  others.  ''  It 
makes  me  feel  as  if  I  had  the  charge  of  all  my  friends,  when 
you  speak  of  the  Church  as  the  body  of  Christ,  and  of  our- 
selves as  members  one  of  another,'"  said  one  of  them,  re- 
ferring to  our  lesson  on  the  twelfth  chapter  of  I.  Corinthians. 
I  have  never  witnessed  more  striking  examples  of  the  power 
of  faith,  and  of  that  grace  which  is  all-sufficient,  than  during 
the  winter  of  1866,  when  so  many  were  forced  to  sit  idle 
because  no  man  had  hired  them.  We  in  our  comfortable 
homes,  with  all  the  surroundings  of  taste  and  refinement, 
are  sometimes  too  harsh  in  our  judgment  of  the  sins  and 
shortcomings  of  our  less  favored  brethren.  Could  we  ex- 
amine more  closely  into  their  daily  life,  we  should  under- 
stand better  how  much  they  have  to  contend  with.  How, 
for  instance,  shall  a  man  seated  at  his  loom,  with  his  day's 
work  before  him,  escape  the  low  conversation,  the  profane 
jests  of  his  companions  on  subjects  which  now  are  so  sacred 
to  him  ?  When  they  question  him  on  his  new  faith,  only 
to  turn  his  answers  into  ridicule,  what  shall  he  do  ?  You 
will  say,  ''Bear  it  in  the  spirit  of  his  Master,  who  reviled 
not  again  ;  or,  like  the  great  apostle,  entreat  them  to  be 
reconciled  to  God."  But  the  easier  and  more  natural  way 
is,  to  lose  temper,  or  weakly  join  in  the  laugh,  and  so  deny 
his  Lord.  And  then,  the  temptations  along  the  wayside, — 
leaving  his  work  at  evening  determined  to  go  directly  home, 
he  finds  a  party  of  his  old  companions  waiting  for  him  at 
the  corner,  to  stop  and  take  a  drink  with  them,  and  he 
must  choose  between  sinning  against  his  own  conscience, 
or  gaining  the  ill  will  of  his  acquaintances.  I  can  M-ell 
appreciate  the  feeling  of  discouragement  which  prompted 
one  who  was  trying  to  lead  a  new  life,  to  say  to  me, 
'*  There  is  but  little  in  such  a  place  as  this  to  help  a  man 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  253 

to  do  better.  When  I  am  at  work  I  find  it  hard  enough 
to  keep  from  joining  in  with  what  I  know  to  be  wrong,  but 
on  the  street^  it  seems  as  if  everything  was  against  me.  I 
don't  think  that  I  could  be  a  Christian  so  long  as  I  live  in  this 
neighborhood."  But  he  does  not  think  so  7iow^  for  he  has 
learned  to  look  to  a  higher  power  for  strength  in  time  of 
need. 

As  I  said,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  suffering  during  the 
winter  of  1866  among  those  who  had  been  able  hitherto  to 
support  their  families  by  their  daily  labor,  as  they  found  it 
very  difficult  to  obtain  employment.     I  remember  that  one 

day  hearing  that  H was  sick,  I  called  to  see  him,  and 

in  the  course  of  conversation  he  told  me  that  he  had  prob- 
ably lost  his  place  in  the  mill.  ''  My  wife  is  almost  ready  to 
give  up,"  said  the  sick  man,  '^but  I  tell  her  to  be  glad  that 
this  did  not  happen  nine  months  ago,  for  I  could  7iot  have 
see?t  if  in  the  same  way  then;  and  what  is  the  comfort  of  be- 
lieving in  God  if  I  cannot  feel  that  He  will  take  care  of  me 
when  I  am  in  trouble  ?" 

'*I  told  E yesterday,"  said  another,  '^when  I  used 

up  the  last  of  our  flour,  that  I  did  not  know  where  the 
next  would  come  from,  and  yet  I  did  not  feel  uneasy  about 
it,  for  there  has  always  been  a  way  provided  for  us."  Do 
not  such  as  these  need  to  be  cheered  and  helped  onward ; 
not  only  by  providing  for  their  present  actual  need,  but  much 
more  by  Christian  sympathy  and  encouragement,  praying 
with  them  as  well  as  for  them,  and  making  them  realize 
that  their  daily  wants  and  trials  are  known  to  their  Father 
in  heaven  ?  And  this  is  within  the  power  of  any  Christian 
woman,  for  it  does  not  require  the  gift  of  eloquence  to 
cheer  the  lonely,  or  to  tell  the  ignorant  of  the  love  of 
Christ.  One  does  not  need  any  special  talent  to  speak 
words  of  kindness,  which  often  go  further  than  silver  or 
gold  to  make  the  tired  heart  glad  and  to  leave  a  blessing 
behind  them. 

22 


254 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH 


About  this  time,  we  opened  a  Sunday-school  for  the 
children  in  that  neighborhood,  many  of  whom  had  never 
attended  any  place  of  religious  instruction.  Certain  mem- 
bers of  the  Bible-class  became  teachers,  and  for  such  we 
held  teachers'  meetings  once  a  week ;  we  studied  the  lesson 
together,  and  suggestions  were  made  of  different  ways  in 
which  the  school  might  be  increased  and  made  attractive 
and  useful  to  the  little  ones.  I  felt  that  this  work  might 
prove  a  real  blessing  to  the  teachers  as  well  as  to  the  chil- 
dren, as  it  would  make  them  feel  that  they  had  work  to  do 
in  the  Lord's  vineyard ;  and  as  they  had  been  taught  the 
great  truths  of  the  gospel,  so  it  was  their  duty  to  instruct 
others.  A  few  kind  friends  helped  us  to  obtain  a  suitable 
library  for  the  children,  and  so  we  began  our  work  under 
very  favorable  auspices. 

Meantime  the  number  of  those  who  attended  service  on 
Sunday  evenings  was  constantly  increasing,  and  new  faces 
greeted  me  at  almost  every  meeting  of  the  Bible-class. 

It  was  delightful  to  see  how  heartily  they  engaged  in  the 
Church-service,  joining  with  us  in  chanting  the  Psalter,  as 
well  as  in  singing  the  hymns.  Many  were  wholly  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  use  of  the  Prayer-Book,  but  it  required  only  a 
few  words  of  explanation  to  make  them  familiar  with  its 
arrangement.  I  have  heard  the  remark  made  that  the 
Church-service  was  only  suitable  for  congregations  com- 
prised of  persons  of  education  and  refinement ;  but  that 
this  is  not  the  case,  is  very  evident  from  the  interest  which 
these  people  manifested  in  the  use  of  their  Prayer-Books. 
Often,  after  the  Bible-class,  the  men  and  women  would  ask 
me  questions  about  the  Prayer-Book;  the  meaning  of  the 
names  of  certain  Sundays  and  Holy-days ;  why  the  Psalms 
differed  from  those  in  the  Bible,  etc.;  and  after  answering 
their  questions  as  briefly  as  possible,  I  would  promise  to 
explain  the  matter  more  fully  at  the  class  which  we  held 
once  a  week  for  the  study  of  the  Prayer-Book.    I  think  that 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  255 

I  mentioned  that  this  class  was  opened  during  the  winter  of 
1865  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  were  seriously  considering 
the  duty  of  baptism  or  confirmation.  A  great  many  besides 
these  had  become  interested  in  this  course  of  study,  and  the 
attendance  was  now  as  good  as  at  either  of  the  other  classes. 
In  saying  so  much  about  our  work  in  the  chapel,  I  would 
not  give  you  the  impression  that  I  considered  the  teaching 
at  the  Sunday-school  or  the  Bible-classes  as  more  important 
than  the  other  duties  outside.  If  any  were  absent  from 
the  class  twice  in  succession,  I  always  made  it  my  rule  to 
visit  them  and  discover  the  cause ;  and  when  I  had  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  to  the  chapel  any  persons  who  were 
unwilling  to  come,  I  would  see  them  as  soon  after  as  pos- 
sible, and  tell  them  how  much  it  pleased  me  to  find  them 
there ;  and,  by  referring  to  the  subject  of  the  lesson,  and 
asking  them  if  they  agreed  with  what  we  had  said,  the  way 
was  opened  for  a  direct  personal  application  of  the  truth. 
It  would  often  be  said  to  me  by  members  of  the  class,  *^  I 

cannot  persuade  H or  G to  come  to  the  chapel, 

but  I  think  that  if  you  asked  them  it  might  do  some  good." 
I  always  encourage  the  men  to  mention  such  cases  to  me, 
for  a  stranger  can  often  effect  more  than  an  acquaintance  in 
overcoming  a  man's  prejudices  against  the  Church  and 
everything  connected  with  it.  When  they  find  that  you 
are  interested  in  their  particular  case,  ''that  you  have  taken 
this  long  walk  just  to  see  them,  and  invite  them  to  come  to 
the  class  to-night,"  they  will  often  yield.  The  fact  that 
you  are  a  stranger,  and  therefore  can  be  influenced  by  no 
selfish  motive  in  his  case,  will  often  come  very  near  to  the 
heart  of  a  laboring  man,  especially  if  he  has  no  family  ties. 

In    the  words  of  N ,    he  ''did  not  suppose  there  was 

any  one  in  this  country  who  would  walk  a  mile  to  see  him 
if  he  were  alive  or  dead."  And  yet,  though  you  may  leave 
that  man  with  every  reason  to  hope  that  your  visit  has  ac- 
complished   its  object,   you  may  be  disappointed  by  not 


256  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

finding  him  at  the  class  that  evening.  He  may  have  kept 
your  words  constantly  in  his  mind  and  fully  purposed  to 
attend,  and  yet  when  the  time  came  his  heart  failed  hira. 
I  make  such  cases  my  own,  and  recall  the  unwillingness  I 
felt  in  other  days,  to  receive  religious  instruction.  I  think 
that  in  our  whole  intercourse  with  those  whom  we  are  seek- 
ing to  bring  to  Christ,  there  is  no  point  where  a  greater 
responsibility  devolves  upon  us  than  just  here.  You  have 
had  personal  intercourse  with  your  new  acquaintance  and 
gained  his  good  will,  and  now  that  he  has  disappointed  you, 
he  will  naturally  shrink  from  meeting  you  again,  and  for 
this  very  reason  you  should  lose  no  time  or  opportunity  for 
a  second  interview.  Tell  him  how  sorry  you  were  that  he 
was  absent,  and  gradually  make  him  feel  that  you  have  not 
come  to  upbraid  him,  but  to  encourage  him  to  try  again. 
It  will  not  then  be  hard  for  him  to  tell  you  the  whole  truth 
and  what  really  held  him  back.  That  man  needs  our  sym- 
pathy and  prayers,  and  all  the  helps  that  we  can  give, 
through  the  promises  of  our  Saviour,  to  those  who  are 
faint-hearted  and  easily  discouraged.  The  fact  that  you 
have  not  allowed  distance  or  weather  to  deter  you  from  what 
you  felt  to  be  your  duty  toward  him,  as  well  as  your  pleas- 
ure, will  not  fail  to  produce  good  results.  It  often  seems 
incredible  to  the  minds  of  working  people  that  Christian 
men  and  women  should  be  willing  and  glad  to  sacrifice 
their  own  ease  and  personal  comfort  to  minister  to  them. 
They  have  not  yet  realized  a  Saviour's  love,  and  so  cannot 
appreciate  th^  power  that  prompts  his  people  to  go  and  do 
likewise.  When  I  first  felt  a  desire  to  do  something  for  the 
cause  of  Christ,  I  made  the  common  mistake  of  supposing 
that  we  could  accomplish  little  unless  the  people  knew  us, 
or  without  a  liberal  use  of  means  in  supplying  their  tem- 
poral wants.  Subsequent  experience  has  taught  me  that 
this  system  has  more  of  self  than  Christ  in  its  workings  and 
results.     You  can  easily  draw  men  and  women  into  your 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS  257 

class,  where  the  hint  of  any  possible  advantage  to  them  or 
their  children  (in    a  worldly  point  of  view)  would  deter 
them.     An  injudicious  use  of  money,  though  it  be  from  the 
kindest  motives,  will  often  do  more  to  injure  than  to  pro- 
mote the  end  in  view.     If  once  this  class  of  people  are  led 
to  connect  the  idea  of  temporal  gain  with  confessing  Christ, 
the  real  spiritual  yiOxY  in  that  community  will  make  but 
little  progress.     The  sordid  may  attend  your  classes,  receive 
you  into  their  houses  most  cordially,  but  the  hold  that  you 
are  acquiring  over  them  is  by  the  loaves  and  fishes,  rather 
than  because  you  have  pointed  them  to  the  Saviour.     It  is 
hard  always  to  bear  this  in  mind,  for  the  natural  prompting 
of  the  heart  is,  to  use  every  means  that  is  lawful  to  induce 
men  to  come  and  be  taught  of  Christ.     But  if  our  object 
be  solely  to  glorify  God  and  to  produce  lasting  results  for 
the  good  of  souls,  we  shall  find  that  many  things  lawful  are 
not  expedient.     The  injury  done  by  an  injudicious  use  of 
money  among  these  people  is  not  confined  to  the  individual 
who  receives  it.     Its  bad  effects  are  felt  very  generally,  for  it 
gives  the  enemies  of  Christ  occasion  to  speak  of  the  mis- 
sionary-work as  a  mode  of  buying  men,  hindering  many 
from  coming,  lest  they  should  be  suspected  of  some  wrong 
motive  in  so  doing.     Then  again,  there  are  many  ardent 
Christian  women  of  very  limited  means  who  would  be  de- 
nied the  privilege  of  entering  this  field  of  labor  if  a  free  use 
of  money  were  necessary  to  carry  on  the  work.     All  cases 
are  not  to  be  treated  alike,  and  only  by  acquainting  our- 
selves with  the  circumstances  and  surroundings  of  those 
under  our  charge  can  we  act  with  discretion  in  these  mat- 
ters.    I  can  add  my  testimony  for  the  encouragement  of 
others,  that  I  have  visited  among  men  and  women  to  whom 
I  was  an  utter  stranger,  and  who,  in  many  instances,  were 
prejudiced  against  the  Church,  and,  \>y persevering  in  my 
eeble  efforts  to  commend  Christ's  love  to  them,  have  won 
their  confidence  without  any  other  influence. 

22* 


258  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

I  could  tell  you  of  many  cases  to  prove  what  I  have  said 
in  regard  to  the  power  of  Christian  sympathy  and  interest 
over  the  hearts  of  the  laboring  classes.     On  one  occasion 

Mrs.  N said   to  me  just  as  I  was  about  to  leave  the 

house,  "Oh,  if  you  only  knew  how  glad  it  makes  me  feel  to 
see  you  coming,  I  am  sure  you  wouldn't  mind  the  trouble!" 
**  But  1  never  thought  it  was  a  trouble,"  said  I,  "it  is  a 
pleasure  to  me."  "There,"  said  she,  "that  is  just  what 
my  husband  says.  He  told  me  the  other  night  after  you 
were  gone,  that  he  liked  to  have  you  come  here,  for  you 
always  noticed  the  children  and  treated  us  like  real  friends  ^ 
Another  time,  observing  a  bunch  of  beautiful  wild  flowers 
on  the  table,  I  said,  "  How  cheerful  these  make  your  room 
look!  I  Wonder  if  I  can  guess  who  picked  them?"  turning 
to  a  little  girl  who  stood  beside  her  mother.      "Yes,  Mary 

picked  these,"  said  Mrs.  N ,  "she  heard  you  say  how 

much  you  liked  them,  and  so  she  and  the  little  boy  went 
out  to  the  woods  to  find  some  for  you,  and  when  they  came 
home,  they  put  the  room  in  order,  so  it  would  look  nice 
when  you  came.  The  first  question  they  asked  when  they 
came  home  to  dinner  was,  whether  you  had  been  to  see 
us  to-day."  Oh,  if  our  Christian  ladies,  instead  oi  sending 
their  gifts  of  charity  by  the  hands  of  servants,  or  those  who 
feel  no  personal  interest  in  the  recipients,  would  only  carry 
them  themselves  or  sanctify  them  with  prayer,  they  would 
increase  their  value  tenfold  !  Apart  from  the  opportunity 
afforded  of  speaking  a  word  of  counsel,  or  encouragement, 
or  warning,  as  the  case  may  be,  it  makes  that  poor  tired 
heart  glad  to  see  a  new  face,  and  hear  the  kindly  voice  of 
"the  friend  who  is  so  good  to  her  children."  Yes,  after 
you  have  gone,  she  will  think  over  what  you  have  said,  and 
tell  it  to  "Father"  and  the  little  ones,  and  your  name 
becomes  a  household  word, — your  visits  the  occasion  of 
new  resolves  and  hopes  for  the  future. 

The  number  of  attendants  at  the  evening  classes  continued 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  259 

to  increase,  and,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  they  came  very 
regularly.  And  let  me  add,  that  among  those  who  were 
most  interested  in  our  course  of  study  of  the  Prayer-Book, 
were  those  whose  prejudices  against  the  Church  I  had 
almost  thought  it  impossible  to  overcome.  In  the  spring, 
the  bishop  visited  us  and  confirmed  seventeen  more  of  our 
number.  And  so  the  work  goes  on,  though  it  has  its  dis- 
couragements, its  hinderances,  its  dark  places. 

An  occasion  like  confirmation,  where  several  take  their 
stand  openly  for  Christ,  is  a  call  for  renewed  effort  and 
watchfulness  on  the  part  of  Christian  teachers  and  friends. 
We  must  guard  them  against  temptation,  lest  the  old  habits 
and  associates  prove  too  strong.  We  must  cheer  them  on 
their  way,  taking  notice  of  everything  which  indicates  effort 
on  their  part  to  live  a  consistent  life.  Our  hardest  trial  is 
to  see  anything  which  looks  like  coldness,  indifference,  or 
backsliding  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  confessed  their 
Saviour ;  but  if,  notwithstanding  entreaties  and  counsel  on 
our  part  and  the  advice  of  the  pastor,  one  becomes  in- 
different, there  is  but  one  resort, — the  first,  the  last,  the 
surest, — I  mean  the  Mercy-Seat. 

Only  ten  days  since,  I  was  called  to  the  bedside  of  a 
sick  woman,  evidently  in  consumption.  I  remembered  her 
face,  but  could  not  recall  the  time  when  I  had  met  her 
before.  "  I  am  afraid  that  you  have  forgotten  me,"  she 
said,  as  I  approached  her  bedside.     ''  I  was  taking  care  of 

Mrs.  R ,  when  you  used  to  visit  her  before  she  died, 

and  though  I  didn't  think  much  about  what  you  said  then, 
I  often  wished  since  that  you  would  come  and  talk  to  me. 
The  other  night  I  tried  to  pray,  but  I  felt  as  if  I  wanted 
some  Christian  person  \o pray  with  itie.'"  In  the  course  of 
conversation  I  asked  her  if  she  was  able  to  read,  and  men- 
tioned some  books  which  I  would  bring  her.  "  I  have  only 
this  one  beside  my  Bible  which  I  care  much  for,"  she  re- 
plied.     "  It  belonged  to  my  mother,  and  when  I  feel  bad, 


26o  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

I  love  to  read  over  the  prayers  in  it,"  she  added,  and 
handed  me  a  copy  of  our  Prayer-Book,  defaced,  and  with 
the  pages  turned  down  at  the  General  Confession,  the  Com- 
munion-service, and  several  other  places.  When  I  told  her 
it  was  the  Prayer-Book  of  our  Church,  she  appeared  de- 
lighted, and  said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  *'If  I  am  ever  well 
again,  how  much  I  shall  enjoy  going  to  the  chapel!"  We 
prayed  together,  and  then  I  bade  her  good-by.  As  I  passed 
down-stairs,  I  met  her  sister  with  two  other  young  women 
on  their  way  to  visit  their  sick  friend.  After  a  few  words 
I  invited  them  to  the  class  to-morrow  evening,  and  with 
some  hesitation,  they  promised  to  come ;  and  one  said, 
"If  I  go,  mother  will  come  too,  for  she  has  said  that  she 
would  like  to,  if  she  did  not  have  to  go  alone.  She  can't 
see  very  well  and  is  afraid  of  falling."  "Oh,  tell  her," 
replied  her  friend,  "  that  we  will  take  good  care  of  her,  and 
besides,  I  will  bring  John  with  me,  and  he  will  see  her  safely 
home  again."  And  in  this  way  they  come, — one  helping 
another, — souls  waiting  till  some  one  calls  them  and  points 
them  to  our  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour.  Perhaps  some  one 
will  say,  "Do  you  think  they  will  keep  their  promise?" 
I  cannot  say,  but  I  hope  so,  and  make  them  the  subject  of 
special  prayer.  Meantime,  to-morrow  evening  will  prove. 
I  know  that  I  have  told  you  nothing  new,  nothing  re- 
markable in  any  way,  and  I  am  glad  that  it  is  so,  for  this 
simple  record  proves  his  blessed  words  of  promise:  "  My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.  My  strength  is  made  perfect 
in  weakness." 


THEIR  SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  261 

"FREELY  YE  HAVE  RECEIVED,  FREELY  GIVE." 

The  application  of  this  divine  principle  is  displayed 
throughout  the  domain  of  nature.  The  earth  freely  gives 
out  the  beauty,  sweetness,  and  warmth  that  are  intrusted  to 
it,  illustrating  some  of  the  qualities  and  operations  of  divine 
love,  and  also  teaching  man  how  to  adapt  his  sacred  trust 
to  the  need,  or  even  to  the  taste  of  his  less  favored  breth- 
ren. Man  is  no  laggard  in  culling  and  arranging  the  beau- 
tiful things  of  earth  and  in  flavoring  its  sweet  things,  or  in 
giving  out  genial  warmth  to  win  the  affections  of  young  and 
old  for  himself,  but  he  too  often  manifests  a  criminal  apathy 
in  dispensing  the  spiritual  sweetness  and  warmth  that  God 
has  intrusted  to  him. 

A  profound  observer  of  God's  ways  with  man,  said  that 
"  '  freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give,'  is  the  funda- 
mental principle  established  by  our  Lord  for  the  spread  of 
his  kingdom."  St.  Peter  tells  us,  ''As  every  man  hath 
received  the  gift,  even  so  minister  the  same  one  to  another 
as  good  stewards  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God;"  and 
Archbishop  Leighton  thus  commented  on  these  words : 
"All  is  received  to  mim'sUr  to  each  other,  and  mutual  bene- 
fit is  the  true  use  of  all,  suiting  the  mind  of  Him  who 
dispenses  all,  and  the  way  of  his  dispensation.  .  .  .  Not 
only  the  outward  and  common  gifts  of  mind,  but  even  saving 
grace  which  seems  most  intrusted  and  appropriated  for  thy 
private  good,  yet  is  not  wholly  for  that,  even  thy  graces  are 
for  the  good  of  thy  brethren.  ...  As  Christians  are  de- 
fective in  other  duties  of  love,  so  most  in  that  most  im- 
portant duty  of  advancing  the  good  of  each  other."  Thus 
the  saintly  Archbishop  strove  "to  banish  and  drive  away 
from  the  Church  an  erroneous  and  strange  doctrine  con- 
trary to  God's  Word,"  that  had  gradually  grown  up  during 
the  Dark  Ages,  when  an  ignorant  and  superstitious  laity 
bought  indulgences,  and  when  their  accredited  ministers 


262  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

held  their  sway  by  priestcraft.  Looking  to  the  laity  solely 
for  gold  and  silver,  and  to  the  clergy  as  the  only  accredited 
channels  of  spiritual  grace,  is  *'  an  erroneous  doctrine,"  and 
Hebrews,  x.  24,  25,  shows  how  contrary  it  is  to  God's  Word. 

Few,  if  any  ministers,  theoretically  affirm  this  erroneous 
doctrine  now,  but  practically  it  is  so  universal  that  the  line 
of  separation  between  Christians  and  worldlings  is  too  often 
discovered  at  communion  seasons  only,  whilst  very  many 
of  those  who  are  ordained  to  the  priesthood,  and  even  to 
the  higher  office,  are  forced  to  become  secularized,  by  duties 
that  appertain  to  the  laity.  As  long  as  the  clergy  perform 
the  spiritual  duties  of  Christian  laymen,  instead  of  stirring 
them  up  to  the  work  to  which  they  are  called  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  so  long  the  laity  will  allow  the  clergy  to  assume  their 
secular  duties,  so  far  as  they  are  self-sacrificing. 

This  state  of  things  will  continue,  and  perhaps  become 
more  aggravated,  unless  the  laity  are  spiritually  refreshed 
by  the  primitive  practice  of  going  ''  everywhere  preaching 
the  Word,"  and  of  "considering  one  another  to  provoke 
unto  love  and  to  good  works,"  and  then,  as  of  old,  they  will 
"  freely  bring  the  money  and  lay  it  at  the  Apostles'  feet." 

If  the  laity  are  not  trained  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  they 
are  separated  from  one  of  the  highest  means  of  grace,  the 
Church  is  thereby  spiritually  impoverished,  spasmodic  ap- 
peals for  money  to  be  effective  must  be  increasingly  eloquent 
and  urgent,  and,  what  is  still  more  to  be  deprecated,  the 
liberal  giver  will  be  more  courted  and  honored  than  the 
ardent  and  effective  worker. 

"This  erroneous  and  strange  doctrine"  is  at  length  being 
effectually  driven  away  from  some  parishes,  as  is  vividly  pic- 
tured in  the  following  paper,  which  was  read  and  approved 
by  the  minister  who  commissioned  the  writer  of  it,  and  who 
supervises  her  work  in  his  mission  chapel. 

Sea  and  land  have  lately  been  mightily  moved  by  the 
breaking  forth  of  pent-up  forces,  filling  the  mind  of  man 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


263 


with  dread  ;  but  may  not  these  natural  convulsions  be  pre- 
cursors of  the  complete  development  of  still  more  potent 
divine  agencies  now  pent  up  in  woman's  head  and  heart  ? 

If  no  man  can  estimate  the  power  to  be  yielded  by  our 
inexhaustible  supply  of  coal,  when  sufficient  oxygen — the 
life  and  spirit  of  the  air — unites  with  it  to  produce  perfect 
combustion,  so  all  calculation  fails  in  the  attempt  to  affix 
any  limit  to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  acting  through 
the  inexhaustible  experiences  of  human  life,  now  pent  up 
in  the  human  breast.  It  may  be  asked,  if  this  be  so,  why, 
then,  has  not  the  Church  earlier  developed  this  power  ? 
But  a  satisfactory  reason  should  first  be  given  for  the  delay 
in  the  use  of  coal,  which  was  not  allowed  in  London  and 
its  vicinity,  under  pain  of  imprisonment,  until  the  close  of 
the  fourteenth  century  of  our  Christian  era,  whilst  its  use 
here  is  still  in  its  infancy. 

The  following  record  testifies  that  this  mingling  of  divine 
and  human  power,  flowing  through  woman's  head  and  heart, 
has  changed  rude  boys  who  are  the  usual  pests  of  the  Sun- 
day-school, developing  in  them  an  ardent  missionary  spirit 
manifested  in  prayer,  and  in  self-denying  efforts  for  home 
and  distant  fields.  ''  Elisha  went  forth  unto  the  spring  of 
waters,  and  cast  the  salt  in  there,  and  said,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  I  have  healed  these  waters,  there  shall  not  be  from 
thence  any  more  death."  If  Jesus  has  been  glorified  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  given,  is  there  not  some  agency  within  the 
reach  of  every  Christian  to  heal  the  spring  and  induce  the 
flow  of  ''  rivers  of  living  water,"  where  there  is  now  bar- 
renness or  spiritual  death  ?  The  Bible  is  the  only  accred- 
ited record  of  special  providences,  yet  since  the  sacrifice 
of  his  Son,  surely  the  Father  watches  over  his  children  with 
a  still  tenderer  interest,  and  when  our  eyes  are  spiritually 
opened  we  will  see  providences  like  the  following  recital 
ot  the  almost  miraculous  guidance  of  a  sinner  who  feared 
that  God  had  given  him  up.  W. 


264  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

My  dear  Sir, — Knowing  how  deep  an  interest  you  feel 
in  the  success  of  our  mission-work  in  the  new  chapel,  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  something  about  one  branch  of  it  which 
is  now  occupying  a  large  share  of  my  time  and  thoughts, — 
I  mean  our  Sunday-school.  I  never  so  fully  realized,  as 
now,  what  a  powerful  instrument  for  good  it  may  become 
through  God's  grace, — not  only  to  the  souls  of  our  children, 
but  through  them  to  their  fathers  and  mothers.  If  I  can 
succeed  in  winning  my  way  to  the  hearts  of  the  little  ones, 
one  great  step  is  taken  towards  gaining  the  good  will  and 
confidence  of  their  parents.  My  aim  has  been  to  make  our 
Sunday-school  as  attractive  as  possible,  and  for  this  reason 
we  are  giving  especial  attention  to  the  music.  The  children 
are  now  trying  to  master  portions  of  the  Psalter  and  some  of 
the  additional  hymns.  Of  these  their  favorite  is  ''Jerusalem 
the  Golden,"  and  several  have  committed  it  to  memory. 
My  rule  is  to  allow  the  boys  and  girls  to  take  turns  in 
choosing  the  closing  hymn,  and  this  is  almost  invariably  the 
one  selected.  Does  not  this  show  that  children  are  able  to 
appreciate  something  better  than  much  of  the  music  so 
commonly  used  in  Sunday-schools  ? 

I  try  to  make  the  children  feel  that  their  help  is  needed 
in  carrying  on  our  missionary  work,  and  that  their  part  is 
not  only  to  attend  the  school  themselves,  but  to  bring  in 
others.  I  depend  upon  them  to  keep  me  informed  of  any 
children  in  the  neighborhood  who  go  nowhere  to  Sunday- 
school,  and  to  tell  me  of  any  case  of  sickness  or  want  which 
they  know  of.  Several  promised  me  their  assistance,  and 
the  good  effects  of  their  efforts  are  already  visible  in  the 
increase  of  our  number. 

I  mentioned,  in  my  last  letter  to  you,  that  the  Sunday- 
school  was  the  means  of  drawing  many  to  the  chapel  who 

had  hitherto  held  back.     Among  these  was  neighbor  M . 

I  had  tried  in  vain  to  persuade  him  to  come  to  the  Bible- 
class, — his  unanswerable  argument  being  ''It's  a  waste  of 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  265 

time  to  try  to  move  men  that's  been  going  one  way  as  long 
as  I  have,  better  try  to  bring  in  the  young  folks,"  or  else, — 
*'I  left  all  that  behind  me  in  the  old  country."  Finding 
that  his  mind  was  fully  made  up  on  this  point,  I  asked, 
would  he  not  send  the  children  ?  To  this  he  willingly  ac- 
ceded, saying,  *'  I  have  heard  a  good  deal  about  the  sing- 
ing in  your  school,  and  my  eldest  girl  has  a  good  voice ;  at 
any  rate  we  think  so."  So  it  was  arranged  that  the  chil- 
dren should  meet  with  us  the  following  Sunday.  The  time 
came,  but  not  the  little  girls  ;  and  I  had  given  up  the  hope 
of  seeing  them  that  day,  when  just  as  we  were  beginning  the 

services,  to  my  surprise,  Mr.  M entered  the  room  with 

his  daughters.  After  leading  them  to  one  of  the  front 
benches,  he  retired  to  a  seat  near  the  door  and  there  he 
stayed  till  the  school  closed.  After  dismissing  the  scholars, 
I  went  to  him  and  told  him  how  glad  we  were  to  see  him 
there.  He  thanked  me,  and  said,  "The  children  would  not 
let  me  rest  till  I  had  heard  them  sing  the  new  hymns." 
''And  how  did  they  learn  them?"  I  asked.  "Oh,  they 
caught  them  by  hearing  the  other  children  sing  them  on  the 
way  to  the  day-school."  He  has  since  attended  the  Sun- 
day-school and  Bible-class  regularly. 

Many  of  the  boys  and  girls  belong  to  our  missionary 
association,  and  though  their  offerings  be  but  small,  I  can- 
not doubt  that  God  will  accept  and  bless  them  to  the 
spreading  of  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  Not  satisfied 
with  this,  they  wished  to  have  a  missionary-box  of  their 
own^  to  see  what  could  be  done  by  taking  up  a  collection 
every  Sunday.  They  chose  a  treasurer  from  among  the 
boys,  who  has  charge  of  the  box,  and  gives  in  his  account 
monthly.  "Be  sure,"  said  one  of  the  boys  to  me,  "to 
have  the  box  hirge  enough, — for  the  more  it  holds,  the  harder 
we  will  work  to  Jill  it.'"  We  have  promised  each  other  to 
make  our  Sunday-school  and  the  cause  of  missions  the 
subject  of  special  prayer.      "My  little  children,"  said  Mrs. 

M  23 


266  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

L to  me,  *'  never  think  of  saying  their  prayers  without 


asking  God  to  bless  and  keep  you,  and  somehow  I  feel  that 
children's  prayers  7Ji€an  a  great  deal  to  Him.''''  '^  Certainly 
I  believe  so,"  I  replied ;  and  as  the  reflection  that  so  many 
of  us  are  uniting  daily  in  prayer  for  our  common  cause,  is 
full  of  comfort  to  me,  so,  is  it  not  a  sweet  thought  that  we 
are  remembered  before  God  in  the  prayers  of  his  little  ones? 

The  children  were  very  much  interested  in  a  letter  which 
I  received  lately  from  one  of  my  old  scholars  in  the  military 
hospital,  who  is  now  studying  for  the  ministry  in  one  of  our 
Church-colleges  in  the  far  West,  He  was  one  of  those 
whose  sufferings  God  has  overruled  to  their  souls'  good  in 
bringing  them  to  their  Saviour,  and  during  these  three 
years  past  I  have  watched  his  spiritual  growth  with  deep 
interest.  After  giving  an  account  of  college-life  and  his 
duties  there  as  teacher,  he  writes,  "■  And  now  I  must  tell 
you  something  which  I  am  sure  will  give  you  great  joy, 
your  prayers  in  my  behalf  are  answered.  I  have  at  last 
decided  the  solemn  question  and  now  entered  on  my  studies 
for  the  ministry.  Yesterday  I  passed  my  first  examination 
successfully,  and  shall  enter  the  Sophomore  class." 

My  dear  friend,  should  you  read  this  paper  to  any  one 
who  is  striving  in  much  weakness  to  win  souls  to  Christ,  bid 
them  take  courage ;  for,  as  I  recall  my  hesitancy  in  first 
approaching  him  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  his  appa- 
rent indifference,  and  now  read  his  letter  breathing  such  a 
deep  sense  of  gratitude  to  God  in  bringing  him  to  this  de- 
cision, and  of  his  utter  unworthiness  and  unfitness,  I  can 
only  say,  who  can  measure  the  power  of  divine  grace  and 
mercy  ?  He  inquired  particularly  after  our  Sunday-school, 
saying  that  he  felt  a  deep  interest  in  its  success. 

And  so,  within  a  few  months,  I  have  had  the  happiness 
of  knowing  that  two  of  the  hospital  Bible-class  are  zealously 

laboring  for  the  good  cause  in  the  far  West, — L ,  the 

first  fruits  of  our  labors  there,  who  is  doing  all  in  his  power 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS,  267 

toward  the  erection  of  one  of  our  mission  churches  in  Min- 
nesota, and  F ,  who  is  preparing  to  work  as  a  missionary 

in  Wisconsin,  Speaking  of  the  great  need  of  an  Episcopal 
church  in  their  town,  and  the  present  reduced  state  of  their 

funds,  L writes  :    ''  Is  it  not  hard  that  we  must  stop 

midway  in  our  work,  for  the  want  of  a  few  hundred  dollars  ? 
Had  we  this  sum  we  could  plaster  the  church  and  make  it 
comfortable  for  the  winter,  but  unless  our  Christian  friends 
send  us  the  money  very  soon,  it  will  be  too  late.  People 
in  your  section  of  the  country  can  have  but  little  idea  of 
the  difficulties  which  we  have  to  contend  with  in  striving 
to  build  up  a  church  on  the  frontier.  But  let  it  be  once 
established,  and  it  will  exert  a  mighty  power  in  forwarding 
the  interests  of  our  Church  in  the  new  settlements.  Oh,  if 
our  friends  in  the  East  would  only  come  to  our  assistance 
now,  I  cannot  estimate  what  great  things  might  be  effected  !" 
I  read  this  letter  also  to  the  children,  and  said,  I  wonder 
how  many  of  these  boys  will  be  working  hard  a  few  years 
hence  to  build  up  churches,  or  preparing  themselves  to 
preach  the  glad  tidings?  ''  That's  hard  to  tell,"  said  one 
of  the  older  boys;  ''but  I  suppose  that  boys'  and  girls' 
money  will  help  to  build  the  churches  as  well  as  grown 
people's." 

I  think  I  remarked,  in  speaking  of  the  effects  of  our 
Bible-class  on  the  members,  that  I  considered  it  as  great  a 
blessing  temporally  as  spiritually,  and  how  marked  a  change, 
in  many  instances,  had  taken  place  in  their  outward  ap- 
pearance and  the  condition  of  their  dwellings.  I  try  to 
make  the  mothers  look  on  cleanliness  as  a  Christian  duty, 
as  tending  to  make  home  attractive  to  father  and  children, 
and  giving  to  those  disposed  to  pass  their  evenings  in  drink- 
ing-saloons  or  taverns,  less  excuse  for  seeking  their  comfort 
away  from  home.  And  the  same  principle  has  worked  in 
the  case  of  the  children,  for  I  see  fewer  unwashed  faces,  and 
less  dirt  generally  among  the  boys  and  girls  since  we  started 


268  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

the  Sunday-school.  I  do  not  mean  to  attribute  the  change 
to  this  alone,  but  certainly  it  has  had  its  influence,  and 
children  who  know  what  it  is  to  be  clean  and  neatly  (iressed 
on  Sunday,  are  not  generally  disposed  to  return  to  the  old 
ways  during  the  week.  And  do  you  ask,  where  does  the 
money  come  from  to  buy  these  new  clothes  ?  Sometimes, 
and  often,  it  is  the  result  of  mother's  self-denying  love 
which  would  rather  see  her  little  ones  well  clad  than  wear 
the  fruits  of  her  hard  earnings  on  her  own  shoulders.  Some- 
times— and  I  tell  this  giving  thanks  to  God — it  is  the  result 
of  father's  savings  this  month  past  from  ale  and  whisky; 
and  lastly,  I  am  glad  to  say,  the  children  have  often  earned 
it  with  their  own  labor, — cutting  rags,  picking  nuts  and 
berries,  running  errands,  etc.  Are  you  tired  of  hearing 
about  the  children  ?  and  do  you  think  me  too  hopeful  of 
the  results  of  our  work  among  them?  Let  me  tell  you  one 
little  incident  which  occurred  the  other  day,  to  illustrate 
the  interest  with  which  some  of  my  young  friends  have 
entered  on  their  missionary  work.  About  a  week  ago, 
when  walking  slowly  along  the  bank  of  our  beautiful  stream, 
I  heard  a  strong  voice  singing  our  new  hymn,  '*  Jerusalem 
the  Golden."  I  looked  up  in  surprise,  for  the  sound 
seemed  directly  over  my  head,  but  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
save  the  tall  overhanging  rocks,  surmounted  with  grand  old 
fir-  and  chestnut-trees.  Meanwhile  the  song  went  on,  till 
at  the  close  of  the  line,  '*  There  is  the  throne  of  David," 
there  was  a  sudden  pause,  then  a  rustling  among  the 
branches,  and  before  I  had  time  to  escape,  I  found  myself 
well  showered  with  chestnut  burs.  Not  fancying  this  part 
of  the  programme,  I  called  out  to  stop.  Whereupon  the 
face  of  my  young  friend  who  wanted  the  missionary-box 
"  made  large  enough,"  peered  out  from  among  the  branches, 
and  after  making  due  apology,  he  unloosed  a  tin  pail  from 
a  bough  overhead,  and  said,  *'I  expect  to  fill  that  this 
afternoon,  and  I  will  have  as  many  from  the  other  side 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


269 


of  the   hill,  and  won't    that  tell  on   the  collection  next 
Sunday?" 

Now,  do  you  wonder  that  my  heart  goes  out  in  love  to  my 
little  helpers?  Is  not  this  something  of  the  true  working 
missionary  spirit?  For  it  requires  considerable  effort  on 
the  part  of  a  boy  to  walk  up  to  the  store  with  his  ''splendid 
chestnuts,"  and,  receiving  his  pay,  lay  it  aside  ''for  the 
collection  next  Sunday."  Oh,  give  me  the  children's 
hearts  and  hands,  with  their  daily  prayers,  and  I  would  not 
think  any  field  too  barren  to  be  converted  into  a  garden  of 
the  Lord,  any  spot  too  degraded  to  become,  through  God's 
help,  the  habitation  of  his  Holy  Spirit! 

Meanwhile  the  work  among  the  men  and  women  in  the 
neighborhood  goes  on  quietly,  but  I  trust  surely.  The  re- 
sults of  our  efforts  are  not  as  gratifying  nor  as  evident  as 
they  were  nine  months  ago. 

There  are  fewer  strangers  to  be  sought  out  and  invited 
to  the  chapel,  and  consequently  fewer  new  faces  to  be  seen 
at  the  Bible-class.  We  have  not  gained  very  largely  in 
point  of  numbers  this  summer;  perhaps  thirty  or  forty  new 
names  are  added  to  our  list,  but  I  do  not  consider  this  as 
any  indication  of  a  decline  in  the  religious  interest  of  our 
people.  When  disposed  at  times  to  murmur  because  so  few 
are  added  to  us,  I  try  to  remember  that  the  grace  of  God  is 
as  signally  shown  in  keeping  faithful  those  who  have  con- 
fessed their  Saviour,  as  in  bringing  in  others  to  inquire  the 
way  of  salvation.  And  then,  again,  the  work,  in  certain 
cases,  seems  to  progress  very  slowly,  and  often  I  have 
watched  and  prayed  for  the  conversion  of  a  soul,  month 
after  month,  without  any  visible  good  results.  This,  as  I 
wrote  to  you  before,  is  the  "trial  of  our  faith,"  for  it  is 
easy  to  make  any  exertion  or  sacrifice  when  we  see  those 
efforts  crowned  with  success,  and  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
of  repentance  and  faith  on  the  part  of  those  for  whom  we 
pray;  but  when  we  seem  able  to  do  nothing  further  than 

23* 


270 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


to  gain  a  man's  assent  to  the  necessity  and  reasonableness 
of  religion,  while  his  heart  is  unmoved  by  a  Saviour's  love, 
this  is,  I  think,  the  most  trying  and  discouraging  part  of 
the  work  to  the  Christian  teacher.  And  here  it  is  well  to 
ask,  "  How  was  it  with  ourselves  in  other  days?"  How  long 
we  were  in  coming  to  Christ — how  long  we  resisted  the 
influences  of  his  Spirit — and  this  will  give  us  new  hope, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  humbles  us  that  we  should  have 
forgotten  that  the  work  is  not  our  own,  but  that  "God 
giveth  the  increase."  Truly,  "in  due  season  we  shall  reap 
if  we  faint  not." 

If  one  text  has  been  uppermost  in  my  mind  these  few 
weeks  past,  it  is  those  comforting  words  of  the  Preacher, 
"Cast  thy  bread  upon  the  waters,  for  thou  shalt  find  it  after 
many  days."  Several  instances  are  fresh  in  my  memory 
which  testify  to  their  truth.  I  should  like  to  tell  you  per- 
sonally the  whole  story  of  the  power  of  "that  grace  which 
worketh  in  us  mightily,"  as  illustrated  in  the  case  of  my 

friend  F ,  but  much  must  necessarily  be  omitted  here,  and 

I  can  only  give  you  a  brief  outline  of  my  acquaintance  with 
him  and  of  his  present  condition.  Among  ray  most  inter- 
esting cases  in Hospital  was  a  young  man  in  Ward  K. 

who  was  suffering  from  a  severe  wound  in  the  breast.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  he  grew  so  weak,  that  I  almost  despaired 
of  his  life,  but  as  the  weather  became  cooler,  his  strength 
gradually  revived.  Meantime  I  visited  him  daily,  reading 
to  him,  pointing  him  to  the  Saviour  of  sinners,  and  pray- 
ing with  him  that  if  God  should  spare  his  life,  he  might 
have  grace  to  dedicate  it  to  his  service. 

One  day,  on  entering  the  ward,  I  found  a  visitor  by  his 
bedside,  a  soldier  from  another  hospital,  and  so  I  merely 
inquired  how  he  had  slept,  and  passed  on ;  but  he  called 
me  back,  and  said,  "Won't  you  stay  a  little  while  with  me 

this  morning?    I  want  my  friend  F to  know  you."    He 

asked  me  to  read  and  explain  a  few  verses  to  him  as  usual. 


THPIIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


271 


after  which,  I  prayed  with  him.  During  this,  our  soldier 
friend  seemed  ill  at  ease,  and,  after  answering  a  few  ques- 
tions and  receiving  an  invitation  from  me  to  attend  the  Bible- 
class,  he  hurried  off.  Several  times  after  this  I  met  him  at  C.  's 
bedside,  but  he  seemed  so  reluctant  to  enter  into  any  con- 
versation with  me  on  religious  matters,  that  I  did  not  urge 
it,  and  a  few  weeks  later  he  returned  to  his  regiment.  This 
was  all  that  I  saw  of  him,  and  all  recollection  of  our  short 
acquaintance  had  wholly  passed  from  my  memory,  till  a  few 
days  since  I  was  reminded  of  it  in  a  way  I  little  expected. 

Some  months  since,  when  passing  through  the  mills  to 
make  myself  acquainted  with  the  newcomers  and  invite 
them  to  the  class,  I  noticed  that  one  of  them  was  watching 
me  closely,  and  seemed  interested  in  what  I  was  saying. 
I  spoke  a  few  words  to  him  and  begged  him  to  join  two  of 
his  friends  who  had  promised  to  attend.  "Perhaps  so," 
was  his  reply.  When  evening  came,  I  found  him  in  the 
chapel,  and  from  that  time  he  came  quite  regularly.  Mean- 
while, I  sought  opportunity  for  private  conversation,  to 
hear  something  of  his  past  life  and  the  state  of  his  feelings, 
but  I  found  him  unusually  reticent  in  regard  to  the  former, 
and  I  could  judge  only  from  the  questions  which  he  would 
ask  me  in  regard  to  certain  doctrines  of  the  Church,  and 
the  necessity  of  openly  confessing  Christ,  that  he  was  con- 
sidering the  great  question. 

Not  long  since  when  explaining  to  the  class  the  passage, 
''And  when  even  was  come,  they  brought  unto  Him  many 
that  were  possessed  with  devils,"  etc.,  I  urged  those  who 
were  professing  Christians  to  be  more  faithful  in  bringing 
their  friends  to  the  great  Physician  of  souls,  assuring  them 
that  not  one  prayer  offered  in  faith,  one  word  spoken  in 
love,  should  be  in  vain,  if  they  followed  it  up  practically. 

I  noticed  that  F seemed  very  much  affected,  and  after 

the  class  was  dismissed,  he  joined  me  at  the  door,  and  asked 
if  he  might  accompany  me  home.    On  our  way,  I  asked  him 


2  72  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

several  questions  in  regard  to  his  strivings  against  sin,  his 
perseverance  in  prayer,  and  the  change  in  his  feelings 
towards  his  Saviour.  He  expressed  himself  deeply  sensible 
of  his  own  unworthiness,  but  added,  *' Nothing  seems  so 
wonderful  to  me  as  the  patience  and  mercy  of  the  Lord 
towards  me.  I  don't  believe  many  men  have  resisted  the 
Spirit  longer  than  I  have;"  then,  suddenly  stopping,  he 
said,  ''I  will  keep  it  no  longer, — do  you  know  me?"     ''I 

don't  understand  you,  F ,"  I  replied;   *'I  only  know 

you  as  one  of  those  whom  I  spoke  to  for  the  first  time  last 
summer,  and  one  who  has  been  very  often  in  my  thoughts 
and  prayers."    ''Then  I'll  tell  you  now,"  said  he.     "Do 

you  remember  the  soldier  whom  you  used  to  meet  in 

Hospital,  when  you  took  care  of  C ?  the  one  who  came 

to  sit  with  him  in  the  mornings  when  you  read  and  prayed 
with  him?"  At  first  I  could  recall  nothing  distinctly,  but 
as  he  went  on,  and  mentioned  different  incidents  and  con- 
versations, all  was  brought  back  to  me.  "And  you  are  this 
young  man?  How  little  we  dreamed  that  we  should  ever 
meet  under  *such  circumstances!"  "I  believe,"  replied 
he,  "it  is  through  the  providence  of  God.  Oh,  I  have  so 
often  wished  that  I  could  see  you  again,  and  that  you  could 
talk  with  me  as  you  did  in  those  days ! — my  mind  has  not 
been  at  rest  since  that  time,  though  I've  done  my  best 
to  make  God  give  me  tdp^  And  then  he  told  me  his  story, 
his  journeys  in  the  West,  his  trials,  temptations,  and  spirit- 
ual struggles.     "Whenever  I  heard  from  any  of  the  men 

in Hospital,  I  would  always  try  to  find  out  where  you 

were,  and  learning  through  J.  M.  that  you  were  in  the  city, 
and  still  teaching  a  Bible-class,  I  determined  to  go  there 
for  work,  thinking  that  I  might  find  you,  and  make  myself 
known  to  you.  I  had  only  been  here  two  days,  and  had 
not  heard  anything  about  you,  till  the  day  you  came  into 
our  room ;  and  when  I  saw  that  it  was  really  the  same  lady 
whom  I  met  in Hospital,  I  can't  tell  you  how  I  felt; 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS,  273 

I  only  know  that  when  you  asked  me  to  the  class,  some- 
thing said,    Go,  F ,    God  has  not  given  you  up  yet." 

"And  why  have  you  not  told  me  this  before?"  I  asked.  "I 
don't  know,"  said  he;  "I  often  determined  to  do  so  the 
next  time,  but  every  time  I  found  it  harder  to  speak  about 
it.  I  suppose  it  was  the  same  feeling  of  shame  which  held 
me  back  when  you  talked  to  me  in  the  hospital ;  but  when 
you  spoke  about  'sowing  in  faith,'  and  'casting  our  bread 
on  the  waters,'  I  made  up  my  mind  to  tell  you  everything, 
for  I  felt  you  had  a  right  to  know  it."     I  trust  to  have  still 

better  things  to  tell  you  about  F .     When  the  struggle 

of  to-day  is  past,  and  our  prayers  shall  be  answered,  his 
surrender  of  self,  soul  and  body,  to  the  Saviour,  who,  in  his 
own  words,  "would  not  let  him  go." 

Last  Sunday  I  asked  all  the  children  who  were  working 
for  the  mission  church  in  Minnesota  to  hold  up  their  hands. 
Nine  were  immediately  raised,  and  one  boy  said,  "  My  sister 
has  got  more  nuts  than  any  of  us,  but  she  could  not  come 
to-day,  so  I  promised  her  I'd  tell  you."  Another  little  boy 
said,  "Mother  has  got  all  our  nuts  locked  up."  "And 
what  is  that  for?"  I  asked.  "  Oh,  she  says  it's  to  keep  us 
from  temptation,  but  I'd  be  pretty  hungry  before  I  would 
eat  '■those  nuts.'  "  "  We  don't  have  much  chance,"  said 
one  of  my  most  zealous  helpers,  among  the  boys,  "for 
Sunday  afternoon  is  the  time  when  most  of  the  men  and 
boys  go  out  nutting;  but  father  told  us  not  to  do  anything 
of  that  sort,  for  w\\X.'s> picked  on  Sunday  wouldn't  help  the 
mission  much."  "Father"  would  not  have  thought  so  a 
year  ago,  but  his  views  are  changed  since  then,  on  this,  and 
many  other  matters. 

N 's  wife  said  to  me,  when  begging  her  to  accompany 

her  little  girls  to  the  chapel,  "I  couldn't  think  of  it,  I  am 
kept  as  busy  on  Sunday  as  any  other  day  in  the  week." 

"But  that  is  not  right,  Mrs.  N ,  your  body  needs  rest 

as  well  as  your  soul."    "  Rest,  my  lady  !"  replied  the  poor 


2  74  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

woman,  **  I  have  not  known  what  that  is  these  twenty  years  ; 
you  know  my  man  don't  believe  in  these  things,  and  since  I 
lost  my  three  sons  I've  had  to  work,  or  the  thought  of  it 
would  make  me  crazy."  *'But  I  don't  believe,"  added 
she,  lowering  her  voice,  ''that  all  the  work  we  have  done 
on  Sundays  has  ever  brought  us  in  a  farthing  in  the  way  of 
blessing.''  I  told  her  that  she  was  right,  that  we  could  not 
look  for  God's  blessing  on  our  work  when  done  in  open 
violation  of  his  law.  And  then  I  begged  her  to  bring  her 
troubles  to  her  Saviour,  for  He  would  comfort  her  and  give 
her  strength  to  bear  them,  which  was  so  much  better  than 
trying  to  forget  them.  '*  Let  us  go  to  Him  now,  and  I  am 
sure  He  will  answer  us."  And  so  we  knelt  in  prayer  to  God, 
confessing  that  we  had  erred  ''and  strayed  from  his  ways 
like  lost  sheep,"  and  asking  forgiveness,  in  the  name  of  his 
dear  Son,  and  that  he  would  overrule  and  sanctify  our 
present  troubles  to  our  souls'  everlasting  gain.  I  do  not 
remember  when  my  heart  has  been  so  moved  with  pity  as 
in  the  case  of  this  afflicted  woman.  Here  was  an  instance 
of  the  many  souls  to  which  Christian  women  may  minister. 
She  did  not  want  food  or  clothing,  but  words  of  love  and 
Christian  sympathy.  She  was  bearing  a  heavy  sorrow  all 
alone,  and  the  memory  of  that  sudden,  crushing  blow 
seemed  sometimes  more  than  she  knew  how  to  endure. 
How  could  it  be  otherwise  ?  She  needed  the  comfort  of 
a  Saviour's  love,  the  sense  of  his  abiding  presence  and  un- 
failing sympathy.  She  knew  that  she  was  a  sinner,  but 
Jesus  Christ,  the  sinner's  Friend,  was  a  stranger  to  her  soul. 
She  felt  that  her  sorrows  were  very  heavy,  but  she  had  not 
yet  been  taught  to  "cast  all  those  cares  upon  One  who 
careth  for  us." 

As  I  retraced  my  steps  homeward,  I  thought  of  the  great 
responsibility  resting  upon  us  all  as  members  of  the  Church 
of  Christ.  Is  not  the  command  as  plain  to-day  as  in  the 
days  of  the  early  Church,  ^^ go  oul  a.nd  seek  for  the  lost"  ? 


THEIR   SAYTNGS  AXD   DOINGS.  275 

Must  we  not  carry  the  glad  tidings  to  those  afar  off?  Some- 
times this  duty  calls  for  the  sacrifice  of  personal  ease  and 
comfort,  but  what  is  that  when  compared  to  the  sweet  sense 
of  doing  God's  service,  oi pleasing  Him  who  loves  us  ?  I 
can  add  my  feeble  testimony  that  in  those  cases  which 
demand,  on  our  part,  most  of  faith  and  prayer  and  the 
sacrifice  of  self,  God's  grace  is  most  freely  given  ;  and  so  I 

sincerely  believe  that  the  time  will  come  when  N and 

his  wife  shall  be  numbered  among  the  people  of  God. 


A   MOTHER   CHURCH. 

This  term  is  often  used  by  churchmen,  either  boastfully, 
playfully,  or  lovingly ;  but  it  is  rare  to  find  the  measure  of 
self-sacrificing  devotion  that  is  needed  to  make  a  "Mother 
Church." 

A  clerical  delegate  from  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  in 
a  recent  address,  unwittingly  administered  a  severe  reproof 
to  the  churchmen  of  this  country  for  their  unwillingness 
to  do  honor  to  the  Mother  whom  they  profess  to  love.  It 
seems  that  in  Scotland  they  do  not  deem  it  any  honor  to 
their  Mother  to  deck  the  church  with  ornaments,  as  if  it 
was  an  idol's  temple,  or  to  expend  large  sums  for  unchurchly 
music,  or,  when  the  building  becomes  antiquated,  to  doom 
it  to  profane  or  secular  purposes.  This  clerical  delegate 
said  that  each  congregation  strove  to  earn  the  honorable 
title  of '*a  Mother  Church,"  by  planting  another  church 
in  a  destitute  neighborhood,  not  a  starveling,  but  a  health- 
ful, vigorous  branch,  soon  to  be  self-supporting,  often  out- 
growing the  Mother,  and  vieing  with  her  by  becoming  also 
a  Mother  of  other  churches,  as  is  shown  in  the  following 
extract  from  the  speech  : 


276 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH 


"In  all  large  cities  no  congregation  is  considered  as 
having  done  its  duty  until  it  has  planted  a  congregation  in 
some  degraded  district  within  its  jurisdiction.  With  them 
parentage  is  the  measure  of  honor.  Every  church  must 
be  a  Mother  Church.  And  many  of  these  churches  so 
established  are  now  the  very  salt  of  the  earth,  lights  shining 
in  dark  places.  Some  of  them  are  mighty  monuments  of 
the  mighty  grace  of  God.  You  must  not  think  these  mis- 
sion churches  are  small.  One  that  I  am  acquainted  with 
has  now  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  ten  on  its  list  of 
membership,  while  seven  years  ago  it  had  but  one  hundred 
and  ten.  And  what  is  more,  this  church  has  become  the 
parent  of  another,  which  now  has  a  membership  of  five 
hundred  and  eighty.  The  city  of  Edinburgh,  with  a  pop- 
ulation of  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand,  has  nine 
churches  established  in  this  manner.  Glasgow  has  fifty- 
eight  free  churches,  of  which  number  fifteen  were  estab- 
lished by  mission-work.  One  of  these  churches  in  Glasgow 
has  been  the  parent  of  three  others,  with  an  aggregate 
membership  of  two  thousand  five  hundred.  These  churches 
are  not  only  self-supporting,  but  they  are  also  self-propa- 
gating." 

How  natural  it  seems  that  one  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  and  animated  with  his  Spirit,  should  at  once 
desire  to  extend  this  priceless  benefit  to  others,  and  yet 
how  rare  it  is  to  find  a  congregation  manifesting  this  spirit ! 
It  must  be  refreshing  to  see  a  church  that  has  just  acquired 
independence,  sending  its  best  minister  and  lay-people  to 
found  another  parish  in  a  more  destitute  region.  Such 
self-sacrificing  love  is  the  offspring  of  the  Holy  Spirit ; 
although  ultimately  it  brings  its  own  reward.  Workers  in 
such  a  field  have  often  with  tearfiil  eyes  thanked  God  for 
this  privilege,  declaring  that  nothing  ever  brought  their 
blessed  Saviour  more  closely  to  their  hearts  than  their 
prayerful  efforts  to  lead  some  neglected  one  to  Him. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


277 


As  public  confession  is  one  of  the  marks  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  may  not  the  following  avowal  be  made  by  many 
congregations?  ''  We  virtually  excluded  from  our  Church 
the  very  classes  that  first  received  the  Saviour  of  mankind, 
and  that  He  most  honored  when  on  earth ;  and  when  they 
became  corrupt,  we  tried  to  satisfy  our  consciences  by 
giving  them  temporal  relief.  Their  children  were  received 
into  our  schools,  although  we  knew  there  was  no  place  for 
them  in  our  church,  and  when  we  opened  a  chapel  for  the 
poor,  very  few  of  us  were  willing  to  leave  our  Sunday  lux- 
uries to  follow  the  example  of  our  Lord  by  worshiping  with 
*  the  common  people.'  We  gave  them  alms  instead  of 
heart-felt  sympathies,  and  then  upbraided  them  for  ingrat- 
itude when  they  became  paupers." 

Is  it  not  better  to  make  this  confession  here,  whilst  amend- 
ment is  possible,  than  to  have  it  wrung  out  hereafter  by  One 
who  thus  forewarns  us,  ''  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to  one 
of  the  least  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  me"  ? 

There  are  persons  who  have  torn  themselves  away  from 
the  most  effective  public  services  and  preaching  to  aid  in 
building  up  the  waste  places  of  Zion,  but  these  instances 
are  so  rare  that  there  seems  to  be  a  saintliness  in  such  sac- 
rifices. The  writer  of  a  series  of  four  papers,  of  which  the 
following  is  the  last,  illustrates  forcibly  what  a  stranger, 
without  wealth  or  family  influence,  can  effect,  when  her 
minister  bids  her  Godspeed  and  gives  her  counsel  and 
oversight. 

If  each  new  parish  had  a  band  of  such  wwkers,  it  would 
soon  become  not  only  self-supporting,  but  "a  Mother 
Church,"  by  pushing  out  enterprising  and  zealous  workers 
into  regions  far  beyond.  This  will  soon  be,  if  the  readers 
of  these  records  of  Christian  woman's  work  will  pray 
earnestly  that  the  Holy  Spirit  may  stir  them  up  to  a  like 
zeal.  W. 

24 


278    *        WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

Dear  Sir, — Among  those  who  meet  around  the  table  of 
our  Lord  next  Sunday,  will  he  found  (D.V.)  my  friend 

H ,  one  of  the  members  of  our  Bible-class.     He  had 

not  been  long  in  this  country  before  I  became  acquainted 
with  him,  and  invited  him  to  join  our  class,  which  he  did 
about  six  months  ago.  He  was  brought  up  in  England, 
and  had  thought  seriously  on  the  subject  of  religion  before 
coming  here.  But,  as  he  said,  "  No  one  ever  showed  any 
interest  in  my  case,  or  gave  me  instruction  in  those  things 
which  I  needed  to  be  taught,  and  I  had  not  the  courage  to 
ask  for  myself.  If  Christian  gentlemen  would  only  notice 
a  poor  man  as  he  stands  by  the  church  door,  and  make  him 
feel  that  he  is  not  in  the  way,  but  is  welcome,  it  would  do  a 
great  deal  towards  destroying  this  feeling ;  but  I  know  that 
I  have  been  into  churches  where  they  made  me  feel  I  had 
no  business  there."     ''Perhaps  this  was  partly  your  own 

imagination,  H ,"   I  said, — ''though  I  think  we  are 

very  careless  of  our  duty  in  this  respect."  "Oh,  I  don't 
suppose,"  replied  he,  "  that  they  meant  to  hurt  my  feelings; 
but  I've  been  made  to  feel  that  I  was  poor,  in  the  church, 
more  than  in  any  other  place.  The  first  day  I  went  to  the 
class,  and  you  asked  me  to  come  to  the  evening  service, 
and  your  minister  told  me  how  glad  he  was  to  see  me  there, 
I  hardly  knew  what  to  say.  I  don't  think  that  I  can  feel  the 
same  towards  any  other  church  as  I  do  to  our  chapel."  He 
had  been  confirmed  in  England  when  still  a  boy,  but  it 
made  no  deep  impression  on  his  mind ;  and  now  that  he 
had  been  brought  to  see  and  feel  his  own  sinfulness,  and  to 
know  of  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  desired  openly  to 
confess  his  faith  in  the  Saviour.  "  I  cannot  feel,"  said  he, 
"  that  my  confirmation  was  any  more  an  act  of  faith  on  my 
part  than  my  baptism."  I  pray  that  the  Holy  Sacrament 
may  be  blessed  to  him,  not  only  as  the  confession  of  his 
repentance  towards  God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
but  also  to  the  refreshing  and  strengthening  of  his  soul. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  279 

It  has  been  plainly  shown  that  in  the  church-work  which 
lies  open  to  Christian  women,  some  fields  call  for  the  high- 
est talent,  and  others  for  the  energies  of  those  possessed  of 
only  medium  ability,  who  bring  loving  hearts  and  willing 
hands  to  the  service  of  our  Lord  and  master.  I  think  that 
the  truth  applies  not  only  to  natural  gifts  and  the  means  at 
our  disposal,  but  to  that  talent  which  so  often  we  forget  is 
not  our  own,  but  only  lent  us  for  a  season, — I  mean  twie. 
There  is  no  plea  more  commonly  used  to  excuse  ourselves 
from  active  service  in  the  cause  of  Christ  than  the  want  of 
time. 

Many  whom  you  may  have  convinced  that,  to  help  for- 
ward the  work,  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  be  "re- 
markable" in  any  way,  will  make  this  their  unanswerable 
argument, — wa7it  of  time. 

Of  course  this  is  true  in  a  great  many  cases.  Our  first 
duty  is  to  our  families  as  to  those  whom  God  has  given  us ; 
but  I  believe  that  if  those  of  us  who  have  not  these  respon- 
sibilities would  conscientiously  devote  even  one  or  two 
hours  each  day  to  visiting  the  poor,  caring  for  the  sick, 
inviting  children  to  the  Sunday-school  who  now  are  re- 
ceiving no  religious  instruction,  and  attending  to  those 
already  brought  in,  we  should  soon  see  the  fruits  of  our 
efforts  in  the  increase  of  our  numbers  in  the  Sunday-schools, 
and  the  growth  of  religious  feeling  generally.  Do  you  not 
think  that  Church-work  is  too  much  confined  to  the  few 
more  zealous  spirits  in  each  congregation  ?  I  have  often 
heard  the  remark  made  by  Christian  ladies,  ''I  under- 
stood that was  ill,  or  that was  in  destitute  circum- 
stances ;  but  I  knew  that  M visited  in  their  neighborhood, 

and  that  she  would  attend  to  them."     I  cannot  see  how 

M visiting  in  the  neighborhood  can  release  us  from  our 

obligations  as  i7idividual  Church-members  ;  neither  can  I 
believe  that  we  are  justified  in  neglecting  our  duties  on  the 
plea  that  others  will  perform  them  as  well,  or  better,  than 


28o  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

■we  could.  God  has  opened  to  us  so  many  ways  of  doing 
good,  that  if  we  feel  ourselves  unequal  to  undertake  one 
work,  there  is  surely  another  not  far  off  and  waiting  for  us, 
if  we  only  desire  it  enough  to  ask,  ''  Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do  ?' ' 

The  mission  field  is  not  confined  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  the  neighborhood  of  factories,  nor  the  more  degraded 
parts  of  the  community.  Many  have  not  the  time  nor  the 
courage  to  undertake  this  branch  of  the  work ;  nor  is  it 
necessary  that  they  should,  in  order  to  be  active  and  useful 
laborers  in  the  vineyard.  There  are  men  and  women,  whom 
we  meet  almost  daily,  who  supply  us  with  the  necessaries 
of  life,  who  work  for  us,  sell  to  us,  sew  for  us,  and  look 
upon  us  as  their  friends,  to  whom  we  have  never  spoken  a 
word  on  the  subject  of  religion.  We  take  a  kindly  interest 
in  their  welfare ;  are  ready  to  listen  to  their  recital  of  do- 
mestic cares  and  pleasures.  They  speak  of  their  children, 
their  plans  for  this  one  and  the  state  of  that  one's  health. 
Did  we  ever  ask  if  those  children  go  to  Sunday-school?  if 
that  father  himself  attends  church,  and  tries  to  live  as  a 
Christian  ?  Do  we  feel  that  our  relation  to  one  another  is 
something  more  than  that  of  buyer  and  seller,  employer  and 
seamstress,  and  that  these  men  and  women  have  souls  to  be 
saved  ? 

No,  I  am  sure  that  we  do  not  half  realize  this  ;  for  if  we 
were  more  conscientious  in  this  respect,  there  would  be 
fewer  of  this  class  so  neglectful  of  their  own  salvation.  A 
word  spoken  here  and  there,  a  little  persuasion  on  our  part, 
may  lead  to  much  good.  A  book  or  tract  given  with  the 
request  that  they  will  read  it  as  a  favor  to  us,  may  lead  to 
better  things.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  been  surprised  to 
find  how  many  of  this  class,  whom  I  have  known  either 
personally  or  by  name,  for  years,  are  yet  without  Christ, 
waiting  to  be  called  in. 

A  few  days  since,  when  conversing  with  some  of  the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  281 

women  employed  in  one  department  of  our  mills,  a  young 
girl  entered  the  room,  and  took  her  seat  beside  the  others. 
Before  leaving,  I  reminded  them  of  the  class  that  evening, 
and  begged  those  who  were  strangers  to  join  us.  Turning 
to  the  newcomer,  I  asked  her  name,  and  invited  her  to  at- 
tend if  it  were  not  too  far  from  her  home.  ''  No  farther 
for  me  than  for  you,"  was  her  answer.      *'  I  suppose,  then, 

that  you  live  in  the  neighborhood  of  A ?"  I  said,  as 

many  of  her  companions  came  from  that  direction.      "No, 

indeed,  Miss ;  don't  you  remember  that  old  cottage, 

three  doors  from  the  corner  of  N Street?"  "Cer- 
tainly," I  replied,  "it  is  only  a  few  steps  from  my  own 
house."  "  I  know  it,"  said  she,  "and  we  have  lived  there 
for  three  weeks  and  more ;  and  the  children  often  watch 
to  see  you  pass,  and  wish  you  would  stop  at  our  house.  My 
little  sister  said,  that  she  thought  if  you  went  two  miles  to 
visit  N.  's  family,  you  might  come  round  the  co?'ner  to  see  us. ' ' 
"  But  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  moved  into  this  house," 
I  pleaded  as  an  excuse  for  myself.  "That's  what  I  told 
her,"  said  she;  "and  mother  says  you  would  find  us  out 
sooner  if  we  lived  three  miles  off,  than  if  we  lived  close  by. 
I  have  always  noticed,"  continued  my  new  acquaintance, 
in  a  tone  which  expressed  her  disapproval,  "that  you 
Church-people  seem  to  think  more  of  the  poor  who  live  a 
long  way  off,  than  of  us  who  live  close  by.  I  suppose  that 
is  because  they  think  that  they  can  attend  to  us  at  any  time.''' 
Was  not  this  a  reproach,  and  not  undeserved  ?  for  in  my 
anxiety  to  make  myself  well  acquainted  with  those  residing 
in  the  vicinity  of  our  chapel,  or  such  as  N.'s  family,  who 
lived  at  a  distance  from  any  place  of  worship,  I  had  un- 
wittingly passed  one  case  at  my  own  door.  All  that  re- 
mained for  me  was  to  visit  this  family  at  once,  which  I  did. 
The  children  were  glad  to  receive  an  invitation  to  the 
Sunday-school,  and  I  promised  to  call  for  them  on  my  way 
to   the   church.     Their  mother   said,  when   I   asked   her 


282     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

where  she  attended  church,  "I  ought  to  go  to  the  Epis- 
copal, for  my  parents  were  members  of  it,  and  I  beheve 
that  I  was  baptized  there,  but  I  have  not  entered  a  place  of 
worship  these  many  years.  The  fact  is,  we  soon  get  into 
the  habit  of  staying  away,  unless  the7'e  is  so?ne  one  to  7'emi?id 
us  of  what  we  ought  to  do;  ladies,  with  plenty  of  servants, 
cannot  understand  how  many  good  excuses  we  cati  find  for 
staying  away." 

"  But,"  said  I,  'Mf  you  know  what  your  duty  is,  these 
things  will  not  excuse  you,  in  the  eyes  of  God,  for  wholly 
neglecting  his  worship ;  and  besides,  does  not  the  sight  of 
persons  passing  by  your  windows  on  their  way  to  church, 
and  the  sound  of  the  church-bells,  remi7id  you  that  you 
ought  to  keep  the  Lord's  Day  holy?"  ''Yes,  I  know  it, 
and  I've  often  thought  of  these  things;  but  it  seems  so  dif- 
ferent when  any  one  speaks  to  you  about  them.     I  will  try 

to  do  better,"  she  added,  "and  perhaps  I  can  get  M 

and  my  oldest  brother  to  come  with  me  to  the  chapel.  I 
think  that  he  only  needs  to  be  asked.''  "If  this  be  the  case, 
he  shall  not  stay  away  from  church  another  Sunday  for 
want  of  an  invitation." 

"  I  am  delighted,"  said  W to  me,  "  with  that  book 

you  gave  me  a  few  weeks  ago."  "Which  was  that?" 
I  asked  ;  "for  you  know  so  many  books  pass  through  my 
hands  that  I  cannot  remember  what  I  give  each  one  of  you 
to  read."  "I  think  you  ought  to  remember  this,'"  he  re- 
plied, "for  you  have  talked  to  us  often  enough  about  it." 
And  he  drew  forth  a  Bible  from  his  pocket.  "  Why,"  said 
he,  "I  got  so  interested  in  it,  that  I  spend  most  of  my 
evenings  reading.  One  thing  is  strange,"  he  continued. 
"  I  find  that  this  is  just  like  the  one  they  use  in  the  Meth- 
odist  church  at  B ,  and  I  had  been  told   that  every 

Protestant  church  had  its  own  Bible,  and  I  supposed  that 
was  the  reason  why  there  were  so  many  denominations.  I 
had  heard  that  the  Bible  House  was  the  best  place  to  buy 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  283 

one,  but  I  did  not  know  what  was  the  name  of  the  one  in 
the  Episcopal  Church,  and  so  I  did  not  get  one,  for  1  didn't 
want  to  appear  stupid."  Do  you  believe  me  when  I  tell 
you  this?     I  assure  you  that  I  am  telling  the  simple  truth. 

W is  an  American  and  an  intelligent  man,  but  his 

parents  are  Roman  Catholics  who  came  to  this  country 
about  twenty-five  years  since,  and  who,  though  not  caring 
enough  for  their  Church  to  attend  themselves,  or  to  send 
their  children  to  the  Sunday-school,  had  yet  instilled  into 
their  youthful  minds,  as  part  of  "the  faith,"  a  store  of 
prejudice  and  falsehood  in  regard  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
* '  heretics. ' '  And  so  it  was  that  the  young  man  was  as  igno- 
rant of  the  Word  of  God  as  one  living  in  a  heathen  land. 
What  he  had  heard  in  his  short  course  at  the  public  school 
was  by  this  time  nearly  forgotten,  and  only  within  the  past 
year  has  he  felt  a  desire  to  have  a  Bible  of  his  own,  and 
read  for  himself.  Not  liking  many  things  in  the  Romish 
Church,  and  having  this  early  prejudice  against  Protest- 
ants, he  had  deemed  it  the  safest  plan  to  keep  away  from 
all.  It  was  the  first  instance  that  I  had  ever  known  of  a 
man  who  had  reached  the  age  of  thirty  without  having  read 
a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  and  who  yet  was  possessed  of  some 

education,  and  fond  of  reading  ;  but,  as  W said,  "a 

Bible  is  generally  the  last  thing  that  a  man  who  does  not 
care  much  for  such  matters  will  think  of  buying,  and  you 
are  not  apt  to  meet  with  Bibles  or  Prayer-Books  in  such 
rough  places  as  I  have  lived  in." 

I  told  you,  when  speaking  of  our  evening  Bible-classes, 
that  the  mothers  were  often  prevented  from  attending  by 
the  children,  who  could  not  be  left  alone;  and  sometimes 
this  excuse  was  given  when  disinclination  was  the  true  cause 
of  absence.  But  it  would  be  unjust  to  the  children  did  I 
not  tell  you,  on  the  other  hand,  how  often  they  have  been 
the  means  of  bringing  their  hesitating  and  unwilling  parents 
to  the   house  of  God.     There  are  instances  fresh  in  my 


284  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

memory  where  God  has  overruled  untoward  circumstances, 
and  answered  my  prayers  for  certain  ones,  in  a  way  I  least 
expected,  making  what  seemed  the  chief  obstacle  to  the 
furthering  of  the  good  work,  the  very  instrument  by  which 
He  would  accomplish  the  end  we  desired,  making  these 
little  children  the  unconscious  ministers  of  his  love  to  per- 
ishing souls.  One  who  has  passed  through  heavy  trials 
said  to  me  yesterday,  "I  am  fairly  discouraged,  and  have 
made  up  my  mind  never  to  go  to  the  chapel  again."  "And 
why  should  you  feel  so  ?"  I  asked.  "Have  not  the  services 
and  Bible-classes  been  a  comfort  and  pleasure  to  you  ?  I 
hoped  that  they  would  help  you  bear  your  troubles,  and 
make  life  happier  to  you." 

"Oh,  you  cannot  understand  it,"  she  replied;  "your 
troubles  are  not  like  ours  ;  we  have  brought  ours  upon  our- 
selves; God  never  sent  them  to  us;  and,"  she  added, 
"when  I  go  to  the  chapel  and  hear  the  Bible  read  and  ex- 
plained, it  gives  me  new  hope ;  but  when  I  come  home  to 
the  old  trials,  they  seem  harder  to  bear  than  ever."  "I  do 
not  wonder  that  you  feel  discouraged  sometimes,  but  I  am 
sure  that  God  has  brighter  days  in  store  for  you,  if  you  will 
only  put  your  trust  in  Him  ;  and  besides,"  said  I,  turning 
to  the  little  child  who  was  standing  at  her  mother's  knee, 
and  looking  up  wistfully  into  her  face,  "  you  Avould  not  de- 
prive her  of  the  greatest  pleasure  she  has,  the  Sunday- 
school  ?"  At  the  sound  of  the  magic  word,  the  little  one's 
face  broke  into  a  smile  as  she  exclaimed,  "I  know!  two 
days  and  then  comes  Sunday,  and  mamma  takes  me  to 
church  to  hear  the  music,  and  put  my  money  into  the  box." 
"Poor  little  thing,"  said  her  mother,  "it  will  be  hard  to 
refuse  her  when  Sunday  comes  !  Is  it  wicked  in  me  to 
wish  that  she  might  be  taken  before  she  knows  what  trouble 
means?"  "  I  think,"  said  I,  "  it  would  be  better  to  bring 
her  to  our  Saviour,  and  ask  Him  to  take  care  of  her,  and 
keep  her  as  his  own."     And  then  I  spoke  to  her  of  his 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  285 

great  love  and  tender  sympathy  for  all  our  sorrows,  and 
comforted  her  tired  heart  with  his  unfailing  promises.  So 
I  left  her.  Passing  by  her  door  towards  evening  she  called 
me  in,  and  said,  *'I  have  thought  better  of  this  matter,  and 
I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  see  I  was  wrong  in  saying  I  had  no 
friend  to  care  for  me,  for  I  believe  that  God  cares  for  me 
and  my  little  girl,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  are  my  friend,  or 
you  would  not  have  told  me  about  these  things. ' '  There  is 
the  truth  again.  We  do  not  realize  how  much  the  tempted 
and  heavy  laden  among  God's  children  need  to  be  "told 
about  these  things;"  and  if  we  would  leave  a  blessing  be- 
hind us,  we  have  only  to  point  them  to  Jesus,  the  Saviour 
and  Friend  of  sinners.  Among  the  most  interesting  of  my 
Sunday-school  scholars  are  the  three  little  children  of  Mrs. 

E ,  whose  husband  keeps  a  drinking-saloon.     I  hardly 

expected  that  she  would  allow  them  to  attend,  as  she  is  a 
Roman  Catholic,  and  added  to  this,  as  I  told  you  before,  our 
mission-work  has  taken  away  some  of  her  husband's  best 
customers.  I  called  at  her  house  a  few  days  since,  and  told 
her  how  well  her  children  were  doing;  "  Indeed,"  said  I, 
*'  your  little  girl  is  an  example  to  many  of  the  older  ones, 
for  good  conduct  and  attention."  She  seemed  pleased 
with  what  I  said,  and  after  alluding  to  the  singing,  I  asked 
her  if  she  would  not  come  to  the  chapel  next  Sunday  and 
hear  the  music.  "  Would  that  be  called  going  to  church?" 
said  she.  ''No,"  I  replied,  "I  should  call  it  going  to 
Sunday-school."  "Well,"  was  her  answer,  "I  would  not 
like  to  have  it  said  that  I  went  to  your  church,  but  I  think 
it's  no  sin  to  go  to  hear  my  own  children  sing.  A  woman 
of  my  age  can't  well  begin  over  again,  but  there'' s  the  chil- 
dren, and  if  you  can  make  anything  out  of  them,  you  are 
welcome  to  do  so  ;  and,  after  all,  if  s  better  to  work  on  the 
young  people.'' 

"'Tis  never  too  late  to  begin  a  new  life,  Mrs.  E . 

Jesus  called  the  little  children,  it  is  true,  but  He  also  invites 


286  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

the  fathers  and  mothers  to  come  unto  Him  and  be  saved." 
"I  know  it,"  she  answered,  ''but  when  a  woman  has  fol- 
lowed one  course  for  forty  years  and  more,  it  is  hard  to  put 
new  ideas  into  her  head  ;  but  the  children  may  choose  for 
themselves,  and  there's  not  much  doubt  which  way  they 
will  go."  She  paused,  and  then,  bending  over  the  baby, 
said,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  '*I  trust  they  may  come  to 
something  better  than  we  have  done."  I  can  but  feel  that 
what  this  poor  woman  said  is  true  ;  for  while  I  would  never 
despair  of  the  power  of  God's  grace,  I  am  sure  that  the 
work  is  easiest  and  most  permanent  when  engrafted  into 
the  heart  of  a  child,  growing  with  its  growth,  and  strengthen- 
ing with  its  strength.  How  I  wish  that  we  had  a  parish- 
school  for  these  children,  that  the  full  system  of  Church- 
education  were  carried  out  in  every  congregation  !  Then 
these  stray  lambs  should  be  fed  and  nurtured,  day  by  day, 
on  heavenly  truths,  and  the  teachings  of  our  beloved  Church 
should  be  a  part  of  their  daily  bread.  Then  the  Church 
should  be,  indeed,  as  a  mother  to  her  children,  nourishing 
them  with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Word  in  their  tender 
years,  and  training  them  to  find  it  their  meat  and  drink 
to  do  the  will  of  their  Father  in  heaven.  Shall  we  live  to 
see  this  day,  or  is  it  one  of  the  blessings  still  in  store  for 
these  little  ones? 

This  morning  I  visited  my  friend  J ,  whom  I  men- 
tioned in  one  of  my  former  letters  to  you.  He  has  been 
confined  to  his  bed  for  nearly  two  years,  from  the  effects  of 
paralysis,  and  yet  I  always  find  him  cheerful  and  resigned 
to  God's  will.  It  is  such  a  contrast  to  come  from  the  lower 
part  of  the  town,  from  the  neighborhood  of  factories, 
taverns,  shops,  and  drinking-saloons,  to  this  quiet  and 
secluded  spot,  that  it  seems  almost  like  another  world. 
His  cottage  stands  by  itself,  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  with 
no  other  dwelling  in  sight,  and  there  this  aged  man  is 
calmly  waiting  till  his  Lord  shall  bid  him  come  up  higher. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  28 7 

He  never  tires  of  hearing  about  our  mission-work,  and  asks 
about  the  scholars,  their  temporal  and  spiritual  welfare,  with 
as  much  interest  as  if  they  were  his  personal  friends. 
*' There's  only  one  thing  that  I  can  do  for  the  cause,"  said 
he,  "and  that  is  what  you  were  reading  about  this  morning : 
*  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  He  will 
send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest.'  I  certainly  have 
time  to  do  that;  and,"  added  he,  with  trembling  voice, 
"  it  makes  me  feel  that  I  am  still  one  of  you,  to  remember 
you  every  day  in  my  prayers." 

His  wife  said  to  me,  "J enjoys  those  books  which 

our  minister  lent  him  more  than  any  reading  which  he  has 
had  for  a  long  time,"  and  she  showed  me  half  a  dozen 
numbers  of  The  Spirit  of  Missions  ;  "I  had  no  idea  that 
there  was  so  much  to  be  done."  I  thought  to  myself  there 
are  many  of  us  equally  ignorant  of  these  matters,  and  with 
far  less  excuse.  ''  Oh,"  she  continued,  ''it  must  be  such  a 
happy  feeling  to  be  able  to  do  something  to  help  on  the 
work  !"  I  reminded  her  that  He  who  said  to  us,  "Work 
while  it  is  called  to-day,"  had  also  bade  us  "Watch  and 
pray,"  and  "Wait  on  the  Lord."  But  as  I  consider  the 
blessedness  of  doing  even  such  an  humble  work  as  God  has 
given  me,  and  then  think  what  a  terrible  struggle  it  would 
be  to  lay  it  aside,  and  sit  with  folded  hands  while  our 
Church  goes  on  conquering  and  to  conquer,  I  feel  that  we 
cannot  be  thankful  enough  for  the  privilege  of  laboring  in 
his  cause. 


288  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 


CHRISTIAN   ZEAL   AND   TACT. 

A  FEW  extracts  from  an  invaluable  book  by  the  Abbe 
MuUois,  who  was  one  of  the  chaplains  of  Napoleon  III., 
will  serve  as  an  appropriate  introduction  to  the  fifth  sketch 
of  a  zealous  woman's  single-handed  and  effective  work  in  a 
rural  mission.  MuUois's  book  is  entitled  ''  The  Clergy  and 
the  Pulpit  in  their  Relations  to  the  People,"  and  it  should 
be  carefully  and  prayerfully  studied  by  the  clergy  and  laity 
of  our  Church,  as  it  is  eminently  spiritual  and  practical. 

'*  One  of  the  glories  of  Christianity  is  its  zeal  in  minis- 
tering to  the  wants  of  the  body.  .  .  .  But  of  what  avail  is 
it  to  succor  the  body,  if  the  soul  is  neglected  ?  Of  what 
use  is  it  to  go  forth  proclaiming  charity  !  charity  !  if  the 
soul,  the  most  sensitive  and  suffering  part  of  mankind,  is 
abandoned  to  endless  misery  ?  Who  can  fail  to  be  touched 
with  compassion  at  the  sight  of  so  many  poor  creatures  who 
drudge  and  wear  themselves  out,  who  go  and  come,  who 
endure  and  curse,  unconsoled  and  hopeless  ? 

''The  greater  part  of  them,  notwithstanding,  are  not 
vicious.  Some  are  ignorant ;  others  are  led  astray  ;  many 
waver  between  the  good  and  the  bad,  only  waiting  for  a 
kindly  word  to  be  addressed  to  them, — for  an  outstretched 
hand,  for  some  great  stream  of  good  to  pass  by  them,  and 
carry  them  away  in  its  current.  How  gladly  would  they 
follow  it !  Well,  be  it  ours  to  create  such  currents  of  truth 
and  virtue.  Be  it  ours  to  confront  human  errors  and  pas- 
sions, and  to  arrest  their  onward  progress. 

''  I  fancy  that  we  stick  too  closely  to  our  own  snug  cor- 
ners, and  to  our  own  ideas.  Yes,  we  stand  apart;  and, 
regarding  the  world's  progress  from  thence,  we  naturally 
find  that  it  goes  on  most  unsatisfactorily. 

''  We  should  confront  the  invading  vices  and  lusts,  come 
to  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  with  them,  and  cry  out  to  them 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  289 

with  the  mighty  voice  of  God,  *  Stop  !  stop  !  you  shall  not 
carry  away  these  souls,  for  they  are  not  yours,  but  Christ's; 
He  has  bought  them  and  redeemed  them  with  his  blood  !' 
If  such  courage,  such  resolution,  such  vigor  as  this  was  more 
common  among  us,  the  aspect  of  the  world  would  speedily 
be  changed. 

''  But  how  should  this  zeal  be  carried  out  into  practice? 
That  is  the  important  question.  In  the  first  place,  associa- 
tions should  be  formed.  In  these  days  we  cannot  dispense 
with  them.  Society  must  be  taken  up  in  detail,  amelio- 
rated part  by  part,  and  then  formed  into  a  compact  struct- 
ure ;  for  a  good  community  can  only  be  composed  of 
good  elements.  These  objects  may  be  attained  through 
the  medium  of  associations.  There  should  be  such  for 
all  ages ;  associations  of  children,'  of  apprentices,  of  oper- 
atives. They  benefit  ail,  the  members  and  the  directors 
also. 

"How  comes  it  that  there  are  not  associations  of  young 
apprentices  in  all  the  towns  of  France  ?  How  comes  it  that 
any  town  dares  be  without  one?  What  strange  beings  we 
are  sometimes  !  We  surround  children  with  the  most  tender 
and  assiduous  care  up  to  the  time  of  confirmation,  and  then, 
at  the  most  critical  age,  when  their  passions  begin  to  cross 
them,  we  launch  them  forth,  without  support  and  without 
counterpoise,  into  that  pestilential  atmosphere  called  the 
workshop ;  and  then  we  wonder  and  say  naively  that  they 
do  not  persevere  in  the  right  path  !  Pray,  can  they  be  ex- 
pected to  persevere  when  thus  left  to  their  own  resources  ? 
You,  with  all  your  religious  knowledge,  with  all  your  ac- 
quired virtues,  with  all  your  experience  and  age,  would  you 
do  so  in  their  place?  I  defy  you  to  persevere  under  such 
circumstances. 

"  Moreover,  no  town  should  be  without  its  association  of 
operatives.     There  can  no  longer  be  any  excuse  on  this 
head.     They  exist  elsewhere,  are  in  active  operation,  and 
N  2^ 


290  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

effect  much  good  in  many  places.  The  way  to  form  and 
direct  them  is  well  known." 

Would  that  it  were  well  known  in  the  United  States  and 
in  our  churches  !  The  following  additional  extract  shows 
that  their  experience  in  France  is  precisely  like  that  here. 
Effective  workers  are  not  obtained  by  public  appeals,  but 
by  enticing  them  to  use  heart-power. 

*'  You  say  to  a  worldly  woman,  '  If  you  were  to  occupy 
yourself  a  little  in  good  works,  such  as  visiting  the  poor.' 
Forthwith  she  starts  a  thousand  objections  against  the  sug- 
gestion :  '  What  !  I,  in  my  position  ?  I  really  have  no  leisure. 
I  have  my  house,  my  children,  my  servants,  and  so  many 
other  things  to  attend  to.  Then,  my  health  is  so  wretched, 
and  my  husband  cares  for  nothing.  Besides,  it  is  a  woman's 
first  duty  to  look  after  her  domestic  concerns.'  In  a  word, 
she  instantly  bristles  up  with  good  reasons.  You  encounter 
a  pointed  defense  everywhere,  and  no  gap  to  admit  your 
arguments.  Beware,  therefore,  of  reasoning  with  her.  Go 
straight  to  her  heart;  beget  charity  within  her;  make  her 
to  feel,  to  love  ;  and  soon  you  will  hardly  recognize  her  as 
the  same  individual,  for  the  change  will  be  almost  instanta- 
neous, and  every  subsidiary  stumbling-block  will  disappear. 
Then  she  wnll  go  and  come,  suffer,  be  humble,  self-denying, 
exemplary. 

''  Woman  is  called  the  feeble  sex.  True,  when  she  does 
not  love  ;  but  when  love  takes  possession  of  her  soul,  she  be- 
comes the  strong,  the  able,  the  devoted  sex.  She  then  looks 
difficulties  in  the  face  which  would  make  men  tremble." 

This  statement  has  been  verified  by  these  articles  on 
woman's  work,  and  its  truth  would  be  still  more  apparent 
if  the  shrinking  of  these  devoted  women  from  beginning 
the  work  had  been  vividly  pictured.  W. 

My  dear  Sir, — I  rejoice  to  tell  you  that  one  of  the 
difficulties  which  weighed  heavily  upon  my  mind,  when  I 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


291 


last  wrote  to  you,  has  now  been  removed.  I  allude  to  the 
matter  of  a  place  of  resort  for  our  young  men  these  winter 
evenings,  where  they  can  pass  a  pleasant  hour  in  reading, 
or  any  innocent  recreation.  A  laboring  man,  after  his  hard 
day's  work,  needs  some  relaxation,  something  to  cheer  and 
enliven  him  ;  and  especially  is  this  the  case  with  our  young 
men,  who  are  separated  from  their  flmiilies  and  homes. 
Indeed,  where  they  live  with  their  parents,  in  too  many 
cases  home  is  the  last  place  for  them  to  find  comfort  or  so- 
cial pleasures  ;  and  where  shall  they  go  ?  Many  have  said 
to  me,  when  begging  them  to  avoid  the  taverns  and  lager- 
beer  saloons,  or  asking  how  they  were  tempted  to  enter  such 
places,  *'I  did  not  intend  going  there  when  I  left  home; 
but  I  grew  tired  of  sitting  about,  with  no  one  to  talk  to, 
and  so  I  went  out  for  a  walk."  And  so  it  was,  that,  pass- 
ing by  the  place  of  temptation,  he  was  stopped  by  some 
acquaintance,  who  asked  him  where  he  was  going,  and  re- 
ceiving the  answer,  "Nowhere  in  particular,"  he  invited 
him  to  join  their  party,  and  you  know  the  rest.  Now,  had 
there  been  some  suitable  place  provided  by  the  Church  for 
such  as  these,  they  might  have  been  weaned  from  their  care- 
less companions.  We  all  crave  society  and  relaxation  of 
body  and  mind,  and  men  will  have  it,  if  not  in  one  way, 
then  in  another;  and  if  there  be  no  respectable  and  inno- 
cent way  of  amusement  open  to  them,  they  will  too  often 
accept  what  first  presents  itself.  How  often  have  I  devised 
plans  to  supply  this  need  !  But  beyond  inviting  two  or 
three  at  a  time  to  my  house,  to  entertain  or  instruct  them 
for  an  hour,  or  to  give  them  a  little  music,  I  have  been  un- 
able to  meet  the  difficulty.  Of  course,  I  have  not  felt  the 
same  anxiety  about  the  women  of  our  neighborhood  and 
Bible-class ;  for  a  woman  finds,  in  the  use  of  her  needle,  a 
source  of  amusement  which  is  denied  to  men.  I  have  often 
had  occasion  to  be  very  thankful  that  the  younger  members 
of  my  woman's  class  had  this  pleasant  and  profitable  resort, 


292     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

when  their  day's  work  in  the  mill  was  over;  for  when  the 
mind  is  occupied  with  some  piece  of  sewing  which  interests 
without  fatiguing  us,  there  is  little  temptation  to  seek  for 
entertainment  outside.  How  often  have  I  wished  that  the 
half-worn,  outgrown  finery,  which  it  is  so  common  a  thing 
to  bestow  upon  the  poor,  might  be  exchanged  for  plain, 
suitable  material,  which  the  mother  and  the  young  girls 
could  sew  upon  during  winter  evenings  !  I  may  take  too 
strict  a  view  of  the  case;  but  I  confess  that  many  a  piece 
of  soiled  finery,  among  the  articles  sent  me  for  distribution, 
has  been  consigned  to  the  fire,  or  converted  into  material 
for  rag-carpets. 

But  I  did  not  intend  to  give  you  my  views  on  the  ques- 
tion of  suitable  or  unsuitable  charities.  I  wished  to  tell 
you  that  the  want  of  a  resort  for  young  men  has  been  sup- 
plied, to  some  extent  at  least.  Through  the  energy  of  our 
pastor,  our  church  has  provided  for  the  needs  of  her  hither- 
to neglected  and  estranged  children  in  this  respect.  What 
a  help  it  would  be  to  Church- work,  if  each  congregation 
would  supply  a  reading-room  antl  improving  companions  for 
those  who  have  not  such  privileges  within  their  own  reach  ! 
And  why  should  we  not  receive  these  pleasures  from  our 
church?  Is  not  that  name,  in  too  many  minds,  associated 
only  with  dry  sermons  and  religious  teaching,  and  regarded 
as  wholly  separate  from,  and  in  ojjposition  to,  anything 
like  pleasure?  We  know  from  experience  that  there  are 
times  when  mind  and  body  are  quite  unequal  to  any  work 
involving  serious  thought  and  close  api)lication  ;  and  at 
such  seasons,  a  pleasant  game,  or  music,  or  the  intercourse 
of  friends,  is  not  only  refreshing,  but  needful.  Then,  why 
not  receive  such  pleasures  from  the  Church?  Why  should 
not  that  dear  name  be  coupled  in  our  minds  with  innocent 
amusement  and  pleasant  occupations,  as  well  as  with  the 
solemn  duties  and  responsibilities  of  life?  I  am  sure  that 
our  reading-room  will  have  the  effect  of  drawing  nearer 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  293 

together  the  members  of  our  Bible-class  ;  for  there  they 
will  meet,  socially,  those  whom  they  only  knew  before  as 
attending  the  same  services,  and  receiving  the  same  course 
of  instruction. 

In  spite  of  the  inclement  weather,  and  the  almost  impass- 
able condition  of  some  of  our  back  lanes  and  streets,  our 
classes  have  been  well  attended,  and  the  new  year  finds 
several  names  added  to  our  list  of  scholars.  During  the 
past  year  we  have  held  one  hundred  and  twelve  Bible-class 
meetings  in  our  chapel,  and  I  think  that  in  only  three 
instances  have  we  been  prevented  by  the  weather  from 
holding  them.  The  work  progresses  meanwhile,  though 
sometimes  I  am  disposed  to  feel  that  it  goes  on  very  slowly 
and  with  many  discouragements.  But,  as  there  is  a  bright 
side  to  every  picture,  so  there  is  much  to  make  me  hopeful 
and  thankful  in  the  constancy  and  prayers  of  some  of  our 
young  Christians.  These  dark  days,  when  provisions  and 
all  the  necessaries  of  life  are  so  high,  and  work  is  so  scarce, 
have  brought  want  and  sorrow  to  many  of  our  people.  As 
I  read  almost  daily  in  the  papers  how  this  or  that  mill  has 
stopped,  or  discharged  half  the  hands,  my  heart  aches  for 
those  who  depended  on  this  employment  for  their  daily 
bread.  Indeed,  I  enter  their  houses  very  often  with  a  feeling 
of  dread,  lest  the  first  words  which  shall  greet  me  shall  be, 
"  Father  is  out  of  work. ' '  In  consequence  of  this  scarcity  of 
labor,  some  of  the  most  constant  attendants  at  my  Bible- 
class  have  moved  away,  and  I  miss  their  help  very  much  in 
the  Sunday-school,  as  well  as  their  influence  in  our  midst. 
Others  are  sitting  idle  because  no  man  hath  hired  them, 
waiting  for  brighter  days  with  a  cheerfulness  which  only 
the  grace  of  God  can  give. 

Oh,  what  a  blessed  privilege  is  vouchsafed  to  those  who 
have  the  means  of  relieving  the  wants  of  such  as  these,  of 
strengthening  the  faith  of  the  poor,  who  have  asked  in  the 
morning,  ''  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  not  knowing 


294  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

whence  it  should  come  !  I  have  been  very  much  gratified 
to  see  how  kind  and  thoughtful  many  of  our  people  have 
been  toward  their  neighbors  who  were  out  of  employment, 
sending  them  a  basket  of  coal,  a  loaf  of  bread,  and  cheer- 
fully j/z^^r///^  with  them  their  provisions,  though  liable  at  any 
time  to  have  their  own  work  taken  from  them.  Several  of 
the  women  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  work  from  the 
Dorcas  Society,  and  their  small  earnings  are,  for  the  present, 
all  that  they  can  depend  upon  for  the  support  of  their  house- 
holds. I  could  hardly  restrain  a  smile,  though  it  told  a  sad 
story,  to  see,  on  entering  their  houses,  strong,  active  men 
holding  the  baby,  or  amusing  the  children  while  the  mother 
\vas  hard  at  work  with  her  needle.  One  of  the  men  said 
to  me,  "  I  told  J (mentioning  a  friend  who,  like  him- 
self, was  without  work,  and  playing  the  part  of  child's 
nurse)  that  we  never  fully  appreciated  our  wives  before.  I 
prefer  working  in  the  mills  to  rocking  the  cradle."  A  young 
man,  who  has  attended  our  Bible-class  very  regularly  for  a 
year  past,  left  us,  about  two  months  since,  on  account  of 
an  offer  of  higher  wages  in  an  other  place.  He  asked  me, 
just  before  leaving,  to  give  him  a  Prayer-Book,  small 
enough  to  carry  in  his  pocket,  as  he  "  liked  to  read  it  here 

and  there."     When  I  bade  him  good-by,  I  said,  "S , 

I  think  we  shall  soon  have  you  back  with  us  again ;  so  I 
will  not  take  your  name  off  the  list  of  scholars."     A  i^\i 

days  since,  on  my  way  to  the  chapel,  I  overtook  S going 

in  the  same  direction.  As  we  walked  together,  he  said, 
"You  were  right  in  what  you  told  me  about  my  coming 

back  to  M ;  I  would  not  have  believed  that  I  could  have 

missed  anything  so  much  as  I  have  the  Bible-class.  Oh,  I 
tell  you  that  I  felt  lonely,  when  those  evenings  came,  that  I 
knew  you  were  all  together  in  the  chapel ;  and  I've  made 
up  my  mind  that  I  had  better  stay  here,  on  lower  wages, 
than  lose  the  Bible-class."  Another  said,  when  I  expressed 
surprise  that  he  should    have  been  with  us  that  evening. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


295 


knowing  how  hard  his  work  was,  and  what  a  distance  he 
had  to  walk,  ''I  begin  my  work  an  hour  earlier  these 
mornings,  so  as  to  be  with  you.  It  seems  to  me,  when  I 
am  in  my  corner  here,  I  should  be  content  to  sit  still  for  a 
week,  2ii\djust  be  talked  to.' ^  However,  I  do  not  propose 
to  try  the  experiment  with  him. 

I  stopped  to-day  to  visit  Mrs.  H 's  little  girl,  who 

has  been  quite  sick,  and  to  inquire  if  her  husband  had  yet 
succeeded  in  obtaining  work.     They  live,   you  know,   in 

L 's  tenement-house,  with  four  other  families.     It  is  a 

strange  old  place,  the  entries  so  dark  and  narrow,  and  the 
staircase  turning  in  so  many  directions,  that  before  I  reached 
the  summit  I  had  quite  lost  my  way,  and  had  to  look  back 
for  the  faint  streak  of  light  from  the  window  over  the  en- 
trance before  I  could  be  sure  which  was  the  front  room. 

In  course  of  conversation,  H said,   "I  like  our  new 

neighbors  so  much ;   I  mean  Mrs.  R ;  she  is  so  quiet 

and  lady- like  ;  but  she  has  had  a  sight  of  trouble  since  they 
moved  here."  On  inquiring,  I  learned  that  this  family 
had  occupied  the  upper  rooms  for  five  weeks  past.  I  had 
known  Mrs.  R before,  when  she  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood ;  had  invited  her  to  join  our  class,  and  begged  her  to 
induce  her  husband  to  attend  our  services.  She  promised 
me  to  think  of  it,  but  it  resulted  in  thinking  alone.  Mean- 
time, my  attention  had  been  so  engrossed  with  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  with  certain  individual  cases  of  special  interest, 

that  I  neglected  to  visit  Mrs.  R ,  and  remind  her  of 

her  unfulfilled  promises.  I  had  reason  to  reproach  myself 
for  my  neglect  when  I  called  on  her  to-day.  She  seemed 
glad  to  see  me,  and  said  she  had  often  wondered  that  I 
should  pass  by  so  often,  and  go  in  and  out  of  the  house, 
without  stopping  at  her  room.  Her  husband  had  been 
severely  ill  for  three  weeks.  ''  Once,"  said  she,  ^'  I  almost 
despaired  of  his  life;  and  oh,  how  lonely  I  felt  then,  and 
how  I  wished  that  vou  would  come  to  see  us  and  talk  to 


296  ll'OMEX  HELPERS  EV  THE   CHURCH, 

him!"  ''And  why  did  you  not  send  for  me?"  I  asked. 
*'  I  thought  of  doing  so  several  times,"  she  replied;  "  but  I 
knew  that  I  had  done  wrong  in  keeping  away  from  church, 
and  so  1  felt  ashamed  to." 

She  told  me  gradually  of  her  sad  experience :  her  early 
life,  and  happy  home,  which  she  left  so  young,  and  the 
change  which  followed,  bringing  with  it  sickness,  death, 
and  destitution.  ''And  what  has  given  you  strength,"  I 
asked,  "to  bear  all  this?"  *'I  hardly  know  myself,"  she 
replied;  "but  I  suppose  that  I  have  lived  through  it,  as 
many  others  do  when  they  find  no  way  of  escape.  I  used 
to  feel  alone  in  the  world,  but  now  I  have  some  one  to  care 
for  me."  As  I  looked  at  her  sweet  face,  which  told,  better 
than  words,  its  tale  of  patient  suffering,  I  longed  to  take 
her  from  that  cheerless  room,  and  surround  her  with  the 
comforts  and  refinements  of  life,  for  she  seemed  so  strangely 
out  of  place.  But  if  this  may  not  be,  at  least  I  have  it  in 
my  power  to  visit  her  and  show  her  kindness.  Yes,  better 
still,  I  can  tell  her  of  our  Saviour,  and  try  to  bring  both 
her  and  her  husband  to  Him.  Oh,  I  believe  that  upper 
chamber  shall  yet  become  a  place  of  prayer  ! — that  souls 
are  waiting  there  to  be  taught  of  Jesus,  and  his  love  to 
sinners  !  Is  it  not  a  blessed  privilege  to  carry  the  glad 
tidings  to  God's  weary  ones,  and  bid  them  "Cast  their 
burdens  on  the  Lord,  for  He  careth  for  them  "?  If,  in  this 
out-of-the-way,  quiet  spot,  so  many  cases  of  interest  are  to 
be  found,  such  diversity  of  character  and  experience,  what 
strange  stories  might  be  told  by  one  visiting  in  the  courts 

and  alleys  of  our  crowded  cities  !    Do  you  remember  C ? 

I  think  that  I  mentioned  his  case  to  you  as  one  of  peculiar 
interest ;  but  nothing  that  I  could  say  to  him  on  the  subject 
of  personal  religion  seemed  to  make  any  impression  upon 
his  mind.  He  was  apparently  so  indifferent  to  the  whole 
matter,  and  any  reference  to  it  seemed  so  distasteful  to  him, 
that  sometimes  I  found  it  very  hard  to  know  when  to  speak 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


297 


and  when  to  keep  silence,  fearing,  on  the  one  hand,  to  lose 
any  favorable  opportunity  of  speaking  a  word  in  season, 
and,  on  the  other,  to  offend  him,  and  make  the  subject 
disagreeable  to  him.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  is  mighty  when 
we  are  weak,  and  prayer  is  our  unfailing  resource  at  such 
times;  and  so  you  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  for 
some  time  past  C has  attended  the  classes  and  the  even- 
ing service  regularly,  and  yesterday  brought  three  of  his 
friends  with  him.  I  went  through  one  of  the  mills  to-day, 
in  hope  of  seeing  these  friends  of  his,  and  telling  them  how 
pleased  we  were  to  have  them  join  us.  In  this  I  was  dis- 
appointed ;  but  I  found  several  who  were  strangers  to  me, 
some  of  whom  had  but  recently  arrived  in  this  country. 
Among  them  were  two  brothers,  Englishmen,  whom  one 
of  my  old  scholars  pointed  out  to  me,  saying,  "  There  are 
two  as  likely  young  men  as  one  need  see ;  1  have  known 
them  ever  since  they  were  little  boys."  After  telling  me 
something  of  their  history,  he  added,  "I  advise  you  to 
speak  first  to  the  younger.  He  hasn't  been  long  away  from 
home,  and  he  left  a  good  mother  behind  him.  What  you 
say  may  remind  him  of  her,  and  make  an  im])ression  on  his 
mind." 

Following  this  suggestion,  I  presently  stopped  at  the 
loom  of  our  young  friend,  and,  after  a  little  conversation 
about  his  work,  etc.,  I  said,   "How  glad  you  must  have 

been  to  find  B here  !     He  tells  me  that  he  has  known 

you  from  your  childhood,  and  that  your  mother  is  an  earnest 

Christian."     "That    she    is,"   replied    A ,  "and    she 

tried  her  best  to  make  us  boys  the  same ;  but  I'm  afraid 

that  will  never  be. "    "Not  wi  thout  the  help  of  God ,  A , ' ' 

said  I ;  "  but  in  his  strength  we  can  do  all  things."  "That 
is  just  what  she  used  to  tell  me ;  and  I  did  try  once  to  be  a 
Christian,  but  there  is  not  much  use  to  do  so  here."    "Only 

try,  A ,  and  you  will  find  the  grace  of  God  as  mighty 

to  save  in  this  land  as  at  home.     Have  you  been  to  church 

N* 


298  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

since  you  arrived  here ?"  ''No,"  said  he  ;  ''I  felt  strange, 
and  did  not  know  where  to  go.  I  heard  the  men  speaking 
about  'Bible-class,  and  going  to  the  chapel;'  but  I  could 
never  find  out  from  their  conversation  where  it  was,  nor 
where  the  service  was  held."  I  soon  informed  him  on  the 
subject,  and  told  him  how  glad  we  should  be  to  have  him 
join  us  that  evening.  "Then  you  are  the  teacher?"  said 
he.  "  Well,  I  believe  that  mother's  word  will  come  true. 
She  said,  when  we  left  her,  that  she  did  not  feel  troubled, 
for  she  had  put  us  into  God's  hands,  and  she  believed  that 
He  would  raise  up  some  Christian  friend  to  take  an  interest 
in  us.  And  there's  my  brother,"  he  continued:  "couldn't 
you  persuade  him  to  come,  too?"  "Perhaps  both  of  us 
together  can.  I  will  invite  him,  and  you  must  encourage 
him  to  join  us.  Your  influence  and  example  will  do  a  great 
deal."  "My  brother,"  replied  the  young  man,  "has  seen 
a  great  deal  of  the  world.  He  has  been  in  the  army  and 
on  long  voyages,  and  is  pretty  wild  ;  but  I  think  he  may 
come,  if  any  one  will  ask  him."     While  we  were  speaking, 

the  brother  passed  by;  A spoke  to  him,  and  told  him 

that  he  had  found  out  about  the  Bible-class,  and  meant  to 
attend  that  evening.  "And  we  want  you  to  come  with 
him,"  I  added.  At  first  he  hesitated,  and  said  that  he 
"had  not  visited  such  places  of  late  years."  "Then," 
said  I,  "it  will  be  the  best  news  which  you  could  send  your 
mother  that  you  have  begun  again."  I  then  spoke  more 
seriously  to  him,  of  the  long-suffering  goodness  of  God  in 
bringing  him  safely  through  so  many  dangers,  and  urged 
him  to  begin  a  new  life.  "I  make  no  promises,"  said  he  ; 
^'-  but  I  take  it  very  kind  on  your  part  to  interest  yourself  in 
us.''  The  younger  one  promised  to  attend,  and  told  me 
that  he  did  not  think  his  brother  would  refuse  to  come 
with  him.  "  At  any  rate,"  said  I,  "  we  will  pray  that  he 
may  not  refuse."  Was  it  not  providential  that  I  should 
have  met  these  young  men  so  soon  after  their  arrival  in  this 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  299 

country,  and  before  they  had  formed  any  intimacies  with 
their  careless  companions?  I  suppose  that  never  are  a  few 
words  of  kindly  interest  more  fully  appreciated  than  when 
we  are  separated  from  home  and  friends,  strangers  in  a 
strange  land  ;  and  so  I  shall  hope  that  our  few  words  by 
the  wayside  may  lead  to  some  real  good. 

And  meantime,  perhaps,  you  ask,  ''What  has  become  of 

Mrs.  R ?     Did  she  or  her  husband  come  to  that  class, 

as  you  hoped?"  No,  neither  of  them,  though  I  watched 
and  hoped  for  them  till  the  services  were  half  over;  but  it 
was  not  meant  that  I  should  so  easily  gain  my  desire. 
Yesterday  I  visited  them  once  more,  and  found  them  both 

at  home,  as  Mr.  R was  not  well  enough  to  leave  the 

house.     AVhen  I  inquired  the  cause  of  their  absence,  Mrs. 

R colored  deeply,  and  said,  "I   don't  think  that  I 

promised  to  come,  did  I?"  "Well,"  said  I,  laughing, 
"  it  was  something  very  much  like  a  promise  ;  you  told  me, 

'I  will  try  to  come,  and  bring  Mr.  R with  me;'  but  I 

dare  say  there  was  some  good  reason  for  your  absence." 
"No,  there  was  not,"  replied  her  husband  ;  "and  I'll  not 
try  to  excuse  ourselves ;  it  was  all  my  fault,  for  I  would  not 
let  her  go,  neither  would  I  go  myself,  because  our  clothes 
were  so  shabby.  I  suppose  you  think  that  is  very  weak  for 
a  man  to  say;  but  it's  the  truth,  and  I  may  as  well  own 
it.  No,"  said  he,  "I  used  to  attend  church,  and  hoped 
some  day  to  become  a  member,  and  I  was  fool  enough 
then  to  believe  that  every  professing  Christian  was  a  good 
man ;  but  I  was  ruined  by  one  who  called  himself  my 
Christian  friend,  and  from  that  time  till  I  came  here  I  have 
never  seen  the  inside  of  a  church.  My  wife  took  it  so  hard 
that,  to  please  her,  I  went  to  the  class  a  few  times.  I 
really  meant  to  have  been  there  Sunday ;  but  just  before 
leaving  the  room,  I  looked  at  her  clothes,  and  then  at  my 

old  coat,  and  said, '  Well,  R ,  we  wouldn't  have  believed, 

three  years  ago,  that  these  should  ever  be  our  Sunday  suits. ' 


300     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

I  said  it  just  to  make  her  laugh,"  added  the  poor  fellow, 
*'  but  somehow  I  always  seem  to  blunder  ;  so  we  concluded 
to  stay  at  home,  and  she  read  to  me  out  of  your  Prayer- 
Book;  and  now  I  have  told  you  the  whole  story."  I  felt 
it  very  important  to  control  my  feelings,  as  it  needed  but 

the  "last  drop  in   the  bucket"  to  make  Mrs.  R give 

way,  and  so  I  said,  "  You  must  show  me  that  old  coat,  that 
I  have  heard  so  much  about;  perhaps  I  may  think  it  quite 
stylish."  So  he  produced  it,  and  after  having  a  good  laugh 
over  its  resemblance  to  Joseph's  coat  of  ma?iy  colois, 
"Now,"  said  he,  "do  you  wonder  that  I  stayed  away?" 
"Yes,  I  wonder  that  you  never  thought  of  wearing  two 
vests,  and  your  thin  coat  instead  of  this  one."  At  these 
words  their  little  girl,  who  had  been  sitting  quietly  in  the 
corner,  jumped  up,  clapping  her  hands,  exclaiming,  "I 
told  him  so  !  I  told  him  so  !  If  he  only  wanted  to  take 
me  to  Sunday-school  as  much  as  I  wanted  to  go,  I  knew  he 
could  find  something  to  wear  ;  but  I  never  thought  of  thaty 
"Poor  little  thing,"  said  her  father,  bending  over  her, 
"papa  never  thought  that  he  would  stand  in  your  way  to 
going  to  the  Sunday-school,  and  being  a  good  girl." 
"And  by  God's  help  he  never  will,"  I  added;  "let  us 
pray  together  now  that  He  will  make  the  way  plain  to  us." 
Before  leaving  them,  I  turned  to  the  little  girl  and  said, 
"  I  shall  depend  upon  you  to  see  that  papa  is  warmly 
dressed,  so  that  he  takes  no  more  cold."  "Oh,  yes," 
said  she,  seizing  his  hand,  "I'll  dress  him  up,  and  make 
him  look  as  he  used  to  before   he  was  sick ;    and  every 

one  will  say,    'Why,   look   at    Mr.  R ,  he   is   getting 

well  again;'  and  I  won't  say  a  word.  Won't  that  be 
funny?" 

Our  hearts  told  us  that  it  would  take  more  than  clothifis:  to 

o 

restore  the  look  of  health  to  that  sick  man  ;  but  a  new  day 
is  dawning  on  him ;  my  first  petition  in  their  behalf  has 
been  answered,  for  that  upper  chamber  has  been  sanctified 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


301 


by  prayer;  and  who  of  us  shall  doubt  that  God  has  good 
things  yet  in  store  for  them  ? 

I  have  written  this  to  you,  my  dear  friend,  while  every 
incident  is  fresh  in  my  memory;  and  now,  as  I  glance  over 
these  pages,  I  fear  that  it  may  seem  too  simple,  too  child- 
ish, to  have  its  place  in  the  The  Spirit  of  Missions.  And 
then  again,  I  think  the  Church  is  calling  loud  to-day,  not 
only  for  the  mighty  men  of  valor  to  go  forward  in  the  good 
fight  of  faith,  but  saying  also  to  the  simple,  and  those  that 
have  no  strength,  ''Gather  up  the  fragments;"  "My  grace 
is  sufficient  for  thee," — and  such  as  these  it  may  incite  to 
labor  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  souls. 

Sister,  is  there  not  an  unsatisfied  desire  in  your  breast? 
Are  you  vainly  trying  to  make  the  spiritual  fire  burn  more 
brightly  by  mere  church-going,  when  your  divine  Master 
is  urging  you  to  be  up  and  doing?  With  Christ  in  your 
heart  and  on  your  countenance,  you  will  find  ready  access 
to  all,  and  spiritual  refreshment  that  will  give  you  true 
happiness. 


TEACHERS'  RECORDS. 

What  seeker  after  Christ  and  his  Church  is  not  pro- 
foundly grateful  to  the  "Teacher  come  from  God,"  for 
the  record  of  his  private  interview  with  Nicodemus?  That 
revelation  of  life-giving  secrets,  unknown  even  to  a  "Master 
of  Israel,"  has  brought  many  to  the  new  birth,  and  should 
induce  the  lesser  teachers  to  record  God's  ways  with  "all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men." 

How  encouraging  to  both  teacher  and  taught  to  know 
that,  like  the  invisible  and  life-giving  air  which  we  have 
breathed  from  our  first  birth,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  ever  exert- 
ing its  vivifying  and  sanctifying  influences  upon  the  im- 
.        26 


302  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

mortal  nature  of  all  men  !  How  comforting  to  *'  little 
ones,"  still  feeble  in  the  faith,  because  just  born  of  water 
and  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  learn  that  the  Christian  Church  is 
bound  to  manifest  parental  forbearance  toward  the  erring, 
and  to  bestow  upon  the  weak  and  sickly  more  than  ma- 
ternal tenderness  !  How  assuring  to  every  conscious  sinner 
is  the  complete  fulfillment  of  the  prediction  made  to  the 
proud  and  timid  Pharisee,  that  the  life-giving  power  ema- 
nating from  a  crucified  Redeemer  would  be  as  simply  and 
freely  offered  to  all,  as  were  the  healing  virtues  of  the  brazen 
serpent  when  lifted  up  by  Moses  !  The  moving  power  of 
the  Cross  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  Nicodemus,  who,  keep- 
ing the  words  of  the  great  Teacher  in  his  mind  for  one  or 
more  years,  was  powerless  to  break  away  from  his  Christ- 
less  companions,  until  Jesus  was  lifted  up  upon  the  Cross ; 
and  then  we  see  him  in  open  day  confessing  Christ,  by  bear- 
ing a  hundred  pounds'  weight  of  spices  to  honor  his  Master 
at  a  time  when  the  faith  of  Apostles  was  sorely  tried.  It 
seems  that  the  rich  and  honored  ruler,  and  the  poor  and 
despised  thief,  were  equally  dependent  upon  the  Cross  of 
Calvary  to  bring  them  to  the  new  birth;  thus  revealing  to 
teacher  and  sinner  the  secret  source  of  all  spiritual  power. 
The  monthly  records  in  The  Spirit  of  Missions,  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  strivings  and  successes  in  neglected  places 
and  obdurate  hearts,  through  the  agency  of  ministering 
women,  have  awakened  gratitude  in  many  breasts,  and  in- 
cited their  equally  timid  sisters  to  honor  their  Lord  by  en- 
gaging in  similar  work  under  the  guidance  of  their  respect- 
ive ministers.  One  rector  writes  that  his  appeals  from  the 
pulpit  for  workers  in  a  ripe  field  were  inoperative,  because 
of  the  self-distrust  of  untrained,  iruly  refined  women,  until 
the  monthly  exhibition  of  what  just  such  women  were  doing 
stirred  up  these  timid  ones  to  a  like  zeal.  He  further  said, 
"Formerly  none  of  these  women  could  have  brought  them- 
selves to  have  made  a  prayer,  or  even  to  read  a  prayer,  be- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


Z^l 


fore  another  person ;  but  now  they  are  doing  substantial 
good  in  a  quiet  way."  And  he  concludes  by  saying,  "It 
is  work  in  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  after  the  example  of  Christ, 
on  the  part  of  all  our  people,  that  is  wanted,  and  must 
be  had,  to  make  our  Church  glorious  in  this  land  ;  there- 
fore, I  hope  these  contributions  will  be  continued  indefi- 
nitely." 

The  chaplain  of  a  large  military  hospital,  in  which  the 
subject  of  the  following  narrative  was  born  of  water  and  of 
the  Spirit,  has  recorded  his  testimony  to  the  inestimable 
value  of  the  work,  by  godly  women,  that  came  under  his 
supervision.  Although  he  is  an  humble,  holy,  eloquent 
man  of  God,  whose  ministrations  to  the  dying  were  most 
acceptable,  and  whose  sermons  were  listened  to  attentively, 
yet  no  Nicodemus  sought  him  out  even  in  the  dark.  The 
gravitating  influence  of  two  thousand  ungodly,  convales- 
cent soldiers  was  so  strong,  that  convicted  hearers  waited 
for  some  more  convenient  season  before  openly  confessing 
Christ;  thus  checking  and  stifling  the  Holy  Spirit's  work. 
This  humble  man  of  God  mourned  that  his  official  position 
often  hindered  him  from  reaching  the  finer  sensibilities  of 
these  rough  men,  and  also  that  his  previous  training  and 
experience  had  special  reference  to  the  pulpit,  and  to  min- 
istrations by  the  bedside  of  the  dying.  He  felt  so  ill  at 
ease,  and  his  manner  was  so  constrained,  that  his  efforts 
were  unsuccessful  in  trying  to  catch  the  sympathy  of  care- 
less and  reckless  soldiers,  who  are  exposed  by  day  and  by 
night  to  the  jeers  of  their  associates.  The  recorded  doings 
of  the  great  Teacher  and  of  his  Apostles  showed  him  how 
much  even  //^(f>'had  been  aided  by  women,  in  preparing  the 
way  for  their  ministrations,  and  in  nourishing  and  watch- 
ing over  feeble  converts  to  Christianity.  The  chaplain, 
therefore,  rejoiced  when  the  military  authorities,  yielding 
to  strong  influence,  allowed  him  the  assistance  of  one,  and 
subsequently  of  two  more,  earnest  women,  who,  at  much 


304  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

personal  inconvenience,  gratuitously  served  in  the  hospital, 
not  as  nurses,  but  as  Christian  teachers. 

In  this  associate  mission,  the  chaplain  was  the  preacher 
and  the  consulting  physician  in  spiritual  things;  whilst  his 
helpers,  like  the  resident  physician  and  nurse,  spent  much 
time  in  the  wards,  that  they  might  get  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  each  man's  history,  and  of  his  spiritual  ailments 
and  needs.  Under  the  general  direction  of  the  chaplain, 
these  voluntary  and  self-sacrificing  visitors  were  enabled  to 
deal  successfully  with  very  many  who  had  resisted  all  ap- 
proaches of  the  salaried  religious  teacher,  and  such  were 
gathered  into  the  daily  Bible-classes,  instructed  and  prayed 
with  separately,  and  prepared  for  baptism,  confirmation, 
and  the  Lord's  supper. 

Although  only  one  of  these  ladies  had  any  previous  ex- 
perience in  such  work,  and  many  facilities  were  denied  to 
them,  owing  to  the  strict  military  rule  in  this  hospital,  yet 
the  chaplain  testified  that  the  efficiency  of  his  ministrations 
had  been  increased  more  than  tenfold  by  their  help. 

Though  these  teachers  now  plead  for  the  destruction  of 
these  hasty  and  imperfect  records,  they  are  to6  good  for 
such  a  fate,  as  they  will  certainly  prove  instructive  to  be- 
ginners. W. 

A.D.  1863. 

K came  to  the  hospital  last  June ;    he  had   been 

wounded  at  Chancellorville,  and  was  so  far  recovered  as 
soon  to  be  able  to  get  about.  He  was  always  bright,  intelli- 
gent, and  gentlemanly,  ready  to  listen  to  what  I  had  to  say 
on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  to  acknowledge  its  value 
and  importance,  saying  he  hoped  to  be  a  Christian  some 
day  or  other,  but  he  was  not  ready  yet  •  he  would  sow  his 
wild  oats  first.  During  the  first  few  months  of  his  stay  at  the 
hospital,  I  had  many  long  and  earnest  conversations  with 
him,  and  he  came  occasionally  to  the  Bible-class,  but  when 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


305 


there  showed  no  interest  in  the  lesson,  and  seemed  altogether 
so  unimpressible  that,  again  and  again,  I  gave  up  his  case 
as  beyond  the  reach  of  such  efforts  as  I  could  put  forth,  and 
renewed  those  efforts  only  from  a  stern  sense  of  duty. 

One  day  towards  the  first  of  December,  as  I  was  going 

through  the  ward,  I  was  about  to  pass  K with  some 

commonplace  salutation,  when  I  noticed  he  had  risen 
from  his  seat,  and  was  holding  a  chair  invitingly  towards 
me.  I  sat  down  and  soon  introduced  the  usual  topic,  when 
he  told  me  he  had  been  feeling  very  differently  the  past 
fortnight,  that  the  thought  of  his  past  life  was  painful  to 
him,  and  he  had  several  times  resolved  to  do  better,  but  he 
added  that  these  thoughts  and  feelings  soon  passed  away. 
Oh,  what  an  answer  to  my  prayers  was  here,  and  what  a 
reproof  of  my  unbelief!  I  eagerly  availed  myself  of  this 
opening  to  show  tliat  the  Holy  Spirit  was  striving  with  him, 
and  should  be  instantly  hearkened  to  and  obeyed  ;  that  the 
recollections  of  a  life  spent  in  carelessness  and  forgetfulness 
of  God  ought  to  be  not  painful  only,  but  agonizing ;  how 
much  more  so  when  that  life  had  been  one  of  willful  and 
deliberate  sin  !  At  the  close  of  our  conversation,  he- prom- 
ised to  come  regularly  to  the  class  and  to  pray  ;  he  soon 
became  more  decided,  prayed  twice  a  day,  and  expressed 
the  determination  "  to  try  hard  to  be  a  Christian,  if  the 
old  fellow  (meaning  Satan)  would  let  him;  but  he  had  a 
terrible  hold  on  him." 

The    following    extracts    are   from   my  diary  :   K is 

quite  sick  ;  he  seems  really  in  earnest  about  his  soul,  but 
says  ''the  devil  has  a  pretty  firm  hold  upon  him,  and  he 
feels  he  has  undertaken  a  pretty  big  thing."     December 

2ist.   K still  quite  sick  ;  read  to  him  the  parable  of 

the  prodigal  son,  and  after  a  few  explanatory  remarks,  said, 
"  Can  you  think  much  of  these  things,  now  you  are  sick?" 
*'I  never  thought  so  much  about  them  as  on  Friday  and 
Saturday  nights  ;  all  my  past  life  came  up  fresh  before  me, 

26* 


3o6 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


— all  the  sins  I  had  committed."  ''A  black  record!  a 
heavy  load  !"  "A  big  load  indeed  for  me  !"  "And  to 
think  of  bearing  that  through  all  eternity  !"  "I  could  not 
do  it, — at  least  to  feel  as  I  did  those  nights."  *'  What  did 
you  do  then?"  "  I  resolved  to  do  better."  "  And  prayed, 
1  hope,  for  forgiveness?"  "It  seemed  to  me  I  had  sinned 
too  much  to  be  forgiven." 

I  told  him  of  Jesus,  the  Lamb  of  God,  whose  precious 
blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin, — repeated  many  such  sweet 
and  comforting  promises  as,  "Though  your  sins  be  as 
scarlet,  they  shall  be  white  as  snow ;  though  they  be  red 
like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool," — reminded  him  of  the 
parable  just  read,  and  directed  his  attention  to  the  beautiful 
illustration  of  the  pardoning  love  of  God,  in  the  father, 
who,  seeing  his  son  afar  off,  ran  and  fell  on  his  neck  and 
kissed  him. 

K says  he  has  been  as  wild  as  the  wildest  lately ;  has 

gone  as  far  as  any  one  in  the  hospital  in  all  kinds  of  wick- 
edness, but  feels  that  he  has  reached  the  point  at  which  he 
must  break  off;  that  he  must  break  off  7to7v,  or  he  shall  not 
be  able  to  do  so  by-and-by  ;  he  hopes  to  be  different  for  the 
future.  "But,  do  as  well  as  you  may  for  the  future,  that 
cannot  blot  out  the  past ;  there  they  stand,  all  the  sins  of 
thought,  word,  and  deed  committed  against  God, — what 
will  you  do  with  them?"  "I  believe  all  that  has  been 
provided  for."  "You  mean  through  a  Saviour's  blood?" 
"Yes,  that's  what  I  hope." 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  detail  the  daily  conversations 
which  were  now  held.  Whenever  his  health  would  allow, 
he  was  in  his  place  in  the  class,  and  gave  evidence  of  sin- 
cerity and  earnestness.  I  found  that  some  time  before  he 
was  wounded,  whilst  leading  a  wild  and  reckless  life  in  the 
army,  he  had  a  dream  which  alarmed  him  greatly,  making 
him  realize  the  inevitable  consequences  of  his  wicked  ways, 
and  leading  him  to  resolve  to  amend  them.    Consequently, 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  307 

he  left  off  swearing,  card-playing,  etc.,  led  a  moral  life,  and 
prayed  twice  every  day  for  three  months.  Then  followed 
the  battle  and  his  wound,  which  was  not  dangerous ;  he 
was  sent  to  a  hospital,  and  feeling  that  there  he  was  safe 
from  further  danger,  he  gave  up  prayer,  returned  to  his  old 
ways,  and  gave  himself  up  to  unrestrained  indulgence  in 
every  sinful  pleasure  that  offered. 

The  same  vivid  imagination  which  thus  awakened  him 
in  the  army  was  again  God's  agent ;  for  it  was  half  dreaming, 
half  waking,  that  the  review  of  his  past  life,  with  visions  of 
demons  and  the  place  of  torment,  was  first  brought  before 
his  mind's  eye  a  few  weeks  ago. 

But,  though  thus  inaugurated,  his  religious  life  was  to  be 
marked  by  stern  grappling  with  realities.  Conscience,  now 
enlightened  by  the  Word  of  God,  revealed  to  him  the  ex- 
ceeding sinfulness  of  sin  as  committed  against  a  God  of 
infinite  purity  and  love,  and  humbled  him  in  sincere  con- 
trition at  the  feet  of  a  Saviour  so  long  slighted  and  rejected. 
His  chief  desire  was,  not  to  flee  from  the  consequences  of 
sin,  but  to  escape  its  guilt  and  power.  Like  the  Apostle  to 
the  Gentiles, — when  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived, 
and  he  died, — he  realized  the  enormity  and  hideousness  of 
his  transgressions  and  cast  himself  in  utter  self-abasement 
before  God.  Yet,  amid  the  thunders  of  the  Law,  the  still, 
small  voice  of  gospel  joy  and  peace  was  heard,  "  Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest."  He  accepted  the  loving  invitation;  the 
blood  of  Christ  cleansed  him  from  sin,  and  he  sat  at  the 
Saviour's  feet  a  trophy  of  his  love  and  grace. 

January  ^th. — Found  K reading  in  Oxenden  on  the 

Lord's  Supper;  the  chapter,  "  Who  are  invited ?"  I  said, 
''  Are  you  invited  ?"  'T  would  not  be  a  welcome  guest." 
"  What  is  required?"  ^' This  little  book  says  'repentance.'  " 
''  Don't  you  feel  sorry  for  your  sins?  Would  you  be  will- 
ing, if  you  could,  to  go  to  heaven  with  your  sins?"     "I 


3o8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

can't  imagine  the  possibility  of  such  a  thing;  I  could  not 
believe  that  God  could  pass  them  by."  ''Well,  if  you 
could  live  on  in  this  world  in  your  sins,  and  get  to  heaven 
at  last,  would  you  like  to  do  it?"  "I  think  not.  I  think 
there  is  more  true  peace  and  happiness  in  the  Christian's 
life  than  in  any  other."  "You  do,  then,  feel  really  and 
heartily  sorry  for  your  sins,  and  desire  to  give  them  up?" 
^'  Indeed  I  do."  ''  Do  you  feel  any  love  for  your  Saviour?" 
"  Yes,  I  am  sure  I  do."  ''  If  you  do  repent  of  your  sins, 
trust  in  Jesus'  blood  and  love  Him,  is  it  not  your  duty  to 
give  yourself  to  Him  publicly  in  baptism,  and  thus  profess 
before  the  world  that  henceforth  you  are  determined  to  be 
his  faithful  soldier  and  servant  to  your  life's  end  ?"  "  Yes, 
I  have  been  thinking  that  such  was  perhaps  my  duty,  but  I 
am  very  ignorant  and  need  instruction.  I  feel  that  baptism 
is  for  Christians,  and  I  know  that  I  am  not  a  Christian." 

"  Baptism  is  not  intended  for  the  advanced  Christian ; 
it  is  the  door  of  entrance  into  the  fold, — the  Church, — where 
the  child  of  God  will  be  fed  and  nourished,  sanctified,  and 
strengthened." 

Ja?iua7'y  6jh. — After  I  left  yesterday,  K says  he  ex- 
amined himself,  and  finds  he  has  no  true  love  to  God,  it  is 
only  fear, — a  dread  of  his  wrath  ;  is  afraid,  even  whilst  en- 
gaged in  prayer,  of  God's  vengeance  against  his  sins,  which 
he  feels  to  be  so  many  and  so  great.  He  finds  it  is  a  diffi- 
cult thing  to  be  a  Christian  ;  he  used  to  think  it  so  easy 
that  he  could  almost  make  himself  one ;  that  it  was  only 
necessary  to  m.ake  up  his  mind  to  do  it  and  the  thing  was 
done. 

Referring  again  to  his  doubts  and  fears,  he  said  he  does 
not  doubt  the  power  and  willingness  of  God  to  save,  but 
thinks  He  will  take  his  own  time  for  it ;  that  He  will  not 
forgive  now,  in  order  to  make  him  feel  his  sins  more  deeply. 
He  seems  to  himself  to  be  in  dark  woods,  with  dangers 
and  difficulties  all  around,  and  a  bright  light  shining  be- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  309 

yond  ;  but  he  can't  tell  hwv  to  reach  it.  I  said,  ''Jesus 
stretches  out  his  hand  to  you  through  the  darkness.  Just 
put  your  hand  in  his ;  He  will  lead,  guide,  bless,  and  save 
you.  Let  Him  do  it ;  take  Him  for  your  all  in  all.  Look 
at  your  sins  as  much  as  you  please,  you  can  never  suffi- 
ciently realize  how  many  and  how  great  they  are.  Yet  in- 
variably follow  it  up  by  looking  at  the  Cross  of  Christ,  and 
seeing  that,  though  your  sins  may  be  high  as  heaven,  deep 
as  hell,  the  pardoning  love  and  mercy  of  God  are  higher 
and  deeper  still." 

January  Zth. — K hopes  he  is  making  progress,  seems 

to  be  getting  nearer  to  God,  but  feels  that  he  is  still  very 
far  off.  I  spoke  to  him  again  of  baptism,  alluding  to  the 
requirements  for  it, — repentance  and  faith, — and  asked,  "■  Do 
you  feel  really  sorry  for  your  sins  ?  Are  they  a  weight  and 
a  burden  to  you?"  "Indeed,  they  are;  I  feel  them  more 
and  more  ;  they  are  like  great  mountains,  stretching  away 
like  the  Alleghanies."  ''Do  you  believe  in  Jesus, — that 
He  is  able  and  willing  to  forgive  all?"  "Yes,  I  know  He 
is,  but  I  can  hardly  believe  or  realize  it."  "Yet  Jesus 
himself  says,  '  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  his 
only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.'  " 

January  gth. — Again  talked  with  K about  baptism; 

he  feels  it  to  be  a  duty,  and  hopes  to  be  baptized  at  some 
future  time,  is  not  sufficiently  sure  of  himself,  has  seen  so 
many  backslide ;   fears  he  might  do  so  too,  etc. 

I  exhausted  all  the  arguments  I  could  think  of  to  show 
that  the  reasons  he  gave  for  not  being  baptized,  were  the 
very  ones  for  availing  himself  of  the  benefits  of  that  ordi- 
nance. "Are  you  weak? — thus  will  you  gain  strength. 
Are  you  fearful  of  turning  back? — thus  will  you  set  up  a 
most  effectual  barrier  against  so  doing.  As  well  might  a 
poor  man  hesitate  about  accepting  an  offer  of  partnership 
with  a  rich  and  prosperous  one,  because  other  business  men 


3IO  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

had  failed  or  became  dissipated,  or  because  he  had  no 
capital.  Baptism  is  a  covenant  of  partnership  between 
God  and  the  sinner;  the  latter  has  nothing  to  bring  to  it 
but  himself,  sinful  and  weak  beyond  the  power  of  words  to 
express  ;  yet  himself,  just  as  he  is,  he  offers  to  God.  And 
God,  on  his  part,  takes  him  as  his  child,  cleansing  him  from 
sin  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  pledging  himself  then  and 
thenceforward  to  give  him  abundantly  of  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  support  him  in  all  dangers,  and  carry 
him  through  all  temptations.  What  presumption,  then, 
when  the  great  and  mighty  God  thus  condescends  to  enter 
into  intimate  relations  with  the  wretched  and  undone  sin- 
ner, for  the  latter  to  hold  back  !  What  an  insult,  when 
we  know  from  the  Word  of  God  that  baptism  is  a  means 
appointed  by  Him  for  our  growth  in  grace,  to  refuse  and 
say,  '  I  prefer  growing  in  some  other  way'  !" 

Baptism  was  to  be  administered  the  next  morning,  and 
when  I  bade  him  good-by  on  Saturday  evening,  the  ques- 
tion was  undecided.  I  felt  that  it  was  a  critical  period 
with  him,  a  turning-point  in  his  soul's  history,  and  never 
did  I  pray  more  earnestly  and  perseveringly  than  that  night, 
for  the  illumination  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  shed  on  him 
abundantly,  making  clear  the  path  of  duty.  God  heard 
and  answered  my  prayer;  for  in  the  morning,  on  my  arri- 
val at  the  hospital,  I  found  K waiting  for  me,  to  say 

that  he  had  decided  to  be  baptized,  that  he  had  prayed 
earnestly,  had  felt  that  God  would  direct  him  aright,  and 
now  knew  it  to  be  his  duty. 

He  has  often  told  me  since  that  he  thinks  if  he  had  not 
been  baptized  then,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  given  up 
the  attempt  to  live  a  Christian  life,  and  have  become  more 
reckless  and  wicked  than  ever  before. 

I  might  give  some  very  interesting  details  of  his  subse- 
quent religious  experience,  which  has  been  unusually  deep 
and  varied,  and  his  progress  in  knowledge  and  grace,  which 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


3^1 


have  been  wonderfully  rapid.  I  will  merely  mention  one 
incident.  One  morning,  about  a  fortnight  after  his  bap- 
tism, he  told  me  that,  the  night  before,  he  had  been  ill  in 
body,  more  ill  in  mind.  A  print-seller  had  been  in  the 
ward  ;  he  had  made  some  purchases,  for  which  he  had  not 
yet  paid,  when  the  man  suddenly  left,  evidently  under  the 

impression   that   all  was  settled   up.      K immediately 

followed  and  paid  him;  but  the  incident  gave  rise  to  pain- 
ful reflection,  for  his  conscience  told  him  that,  a  short  time 
ago,  he  would  have  been  quite  satisfied  to  let  the  man  lose 
his  money,  as  it  would  have  been  through  his  own  careless- 
ness. Thus  his  sins  were  brought  to  remembrance,  those 
of  his  whole  life  ;  he  felt  that  he  had  had  health  and  abused 
it ;  he  had  had  an  intellectual  talent,  which  he  had  wasted 
and  impaired.  Thus  he  recalled  one  sin  after  another,  till 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  be  forgiven,  that  he  deserved  that 
God  should  forsake  him, — nay,  that  God  had  ad&X.  him  off 
and  forsaken  him  ;  that  he  was  helpless  and  hopeless.  For 
four  hours  he  prayed  without  ceasing,  yet  without  one  ray 
of  hope.  He  wished  for  me,  feeling  that  God  had  given 
him  up,  but  that  he  had  not  sinned  against  me  as  he  had 
against  God,  and  perhaps  I  could  comfort  him.  Suddenly, 
in  the  midst  of  his  agony,  he  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  say- 
ing, **The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us 
from  all  sin,"  and  forthwith  the  tempest  in  his  soul  was 
stilled,  and  there  was  a  great  calm. 

When  K became  a  Christian,  he  was  filled  with  the 

most  earnest  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  fellow-men,  and 
has  from  that  hour  to  this  been  engaged  in  the  work  of 
urging  others  to  seek  that  Saviour  who  is  so  precious  to  his 
own  soul.  He  soon  established  the  nightly  reading  of  the 
Bible  in  his  ward,  and  not  long  afterward,  after  a  severe 
conflict  with  himself,  was  enabled  to  follow  it  up  with 
prayer,  most  of  the  men  in  the  ward  paying  strict  attention 
during  the  exercises. 


,12     WOMEN  HELPERS   IN   THE    CHURCH, 

He  is  now  a  ward-master,  and  makes  his  influence  as  a 
Christian  to  be  felt  by  every  man  under  his  care,  not  only 
conducting  public  religious  exercises  in  the  ward,  but 
talking  privately  with  the  men  on  the  concerns  of  their 
souls,  and  praying  with  them  in  his  room  when  he  finds 
them  seriously  disposed. 

It  is  his  one  aim  in  life  to  devote  himself  to  the  service 
of  his  God  and  Saviour,  and  to  this  end  he  studies  dili- 
gently whenever  he  has  a  leisure  moment,  intending  here- 
after to  enter  the  sacred  ministry. 

Several  years  have  passed  since  the  foregoing  incidents 
were  noted  down  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  a  fellow- 
worker  in  the  same  military  hospital.  Since  that  time  the 
mother  in  spiritual  things  who  first  drew  the  ungodly  young 
soldier  from  the  way  of  death,  and  turned  his  feet  to  the 
way  of  life,  has  never  ceased  to  strengthen  him  with  her 
prayers,  and  to  encourage  him  with  her  letters  and  with 
supplies  of  suitable  books.  His  home  is  in  a  rural  district, 
among  a  very  wicked  people,  far  away  from  Church  privi- 
leges; therefore  the  watchful  supervision  of  an  experienced 
Christian  is  almost  a  necessity.  His  perseverance  in  pre- 
paring for  the  ministry  of  the  Church,  and  his  zeal  in 
establishing  a  Sunday-school  and  conducting  religious  ser- 
vices, meet  with  the  cordial  approval  of  his  bishop  and  of 
the  clergy  in  that  section  of  the  country.  Having  a  wife, 
and  also  a  mother  partially  dependent  on  him  for  support, 
the  work  of  preparation  has  been  slow,  an  !  in  this  he  has 
endured  much  hardness  uncomplainingly.  He  knew  no- 
thing of  the  preparation  of  these  notes,  and  lest  he  should 
see  them  in  The  Spirit  of  Missions,  permission  to  publish 
them  was  asked  of  him  by  letter.  The  following  is  his 
characteristic  reply: 

"The  notes  of  which  you  make  mention  are  at  your 
command.     If  anything   in   any  way  connected  with  me 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


l^l 


can  be  made  useful  in  furthering  the  cause  of  Christ,  I  shall 
be  only  too  thankful." 


ADVANCED   SPIRITUALISM. 

In  these  troublous  times  it  is  cheering  to  note  an  ob- 
vious advance  in  the  effectiveness  of  lay  ministrations, 
wherever  the  highest  spiritual  powers  of  cultivated  Chris- 
tian women  have  been  fully  developed  by  exercise  in  the 
divine  art  of  winning  souls,  and  their  work  sustained  by 
appropriate  public  services  in  the  Church. 

When  the  great  wrong  of  virtually  excluding  large  classes 
of  the  people  from  our  scriptural  Church  became  glaringly 
apparent,  it  was  natural  that  her  emotional  members  should 
first  arouse  themselves  to  remedy  this  wrong,  and  that  the 
unrest  in  the  Church  occasioned  by  the  zeal  of  these  ardent, 
impulsive  men  should  serve  to  awaken  the  great  conserva- 
tive body  of  churchmen  to  a  sense  of  their  duty  to  less 
favored  brethren.  If  fully  aroused,  the  Church  will  make 
rapid  strides ;  for  her  children  have  high  intelligence,  good 
social  position,  and  other  elements  of  power,  as  well  as  a 
complete  organism. 

The  mode  by  which  all  classes  of  people  can  be  drawn 
from  spiritual  lethargy  or  flagrant  sin,  incorporated  into 
the  Church,  and  efficiently  watched  over,  is  no  longer  the 
great  unsolved  problem.  The  system  and  instrumentalities 
of  the  Church  are  found  to  be  well  adapted  to  this  work 
wherever  her  children  are  willing  to  give  personal  service 
in  accordance  with  God's  requirements,  and  to  follow  the 
example  of  our  Lord  and  Master  in  showing  kindness  to 
and  worshiping  with  men  of  low  estate. 

A  small  band  of  just  such  ladies  as  are  still  employed  in 
o  27 


314  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

many  parishes,  for  financial  purposes,  in  competing  with 
sewing  or  trading  women,  has  been  trained  to  use  their 
highest  spiritual  powers  and  their  varied  experiences,  in 
Christianizing  the  homes  of  the  neglected  and  neglecters 
of  their  own  souls.  This  character  of  work  has  been  pro 
nounced  successful  by  all  who  have  examined  it  thoroughly. 
In  three  parishes,  very  dissimilar  in  location,  appliances, 
and  surroundings,  nine  hundred  houses  of  working  people 
are  regularly  visited,  with  a  marked  improvement  in  many 
of  them ;  five  hundred  women  are  organized  in  mothers' 
meetings  ;  and  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  gathered 
into  Bible-classes  taught  by  three  of  these  lady  visitors.  In 
one  of  these  fields  where  this  work  has  extended  through 
seven  years,  over  three  hundred  adults  have,  through  this 
agency,  been  brought  to  Christ,  well  instructed  in  the  Bible 
and  Prayer-Book,  grafted  into  the  Church,  and  watched 
over  with  such  loving  assiduity  that  a  very  remarkable  de- 
gree of  faithfulness  has  been  secured.  In  other  fields  the 
spiritual  progress  is  equally  satisfactory,  as  is  shown  in  the 
following  sketch  of  a  Bible-class,  composed  of  independent 
working  men,  collected  by  one  lady  in  a  sparsely-settled 
district. 

Other  dej)artments  of  the  work  are  still  more  satisfac- 
tory, for  youth  of  both  sexes  being  retained  in  Bible-classes, 
become  in  large  numbers  living  members  of  the  Church  ; 
some  aiding  their  teachers  by  procuring  new  members  for 
the  class  and  watching  over  the  less  stable,  while  several 
young  men  are  preparing  for  the  sacred  ministry. 

In  no  case  has  there  been  such  a  concurrence  of  favor- 
able circumstances  as  may  be  found  in  many  other  parishes, 
therefore  the  full  power  of  the  Church  in  her  aggressive 
work  has  not  yet  been  manifested.  Those  who  have  had 
the  chief  oversight  of  these  experiments  have  rather  desired 
to  show  what  was  possible  everywhere,  than  how  much 
could  be  effected  in  any  one  field.  W. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


315 


My  dear  M :   I  scarcely  know  where  to  begin   to 

reply  to  your  "■  letter  of  queries"  about  my  Bible-class, — 
your  questions  cover  so  large  a  field,  that  to  answer  them 
all,  would  require  more  than  the  limits  of  a  letter.  But 
I  will  try  to  tell  you  what  **  may  prove  helpful  and  sug- 
gestive," Your  sphere  of  operations  may  be  very  differ- 
ent from  mine.  I  labor  under  some  great  disadvantages, 
which  are  more  than  counterbalanced,  in  my  estimation, 
by  the  fact,  that  I  worship  in  a  free  church,  to  which  I  can 
cordially  welcome  all  whom  I  meet,  and  that  not  to  one  ser- 
vice, especially  provided  for  the  poor,  but  to  ^//the  services 
held  in  the  church.  On  the  other  hand,  we  can  offer  people 
no  ininisterial  oversight  or  influence,  as  our  mission  can 
only  claim  a  Sunday  afternoon  service  and  sermon  from  the 
clergyman,  and  we  have  a  service  in  the  morning  by  a  can- 
didate for  the  ministry,  who  reads  a  sermon.  The  clergy- 
man's time  is  engrossed  with  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  another  charge,  and  we  can  expect  from  him  no  parochial 
work,  except  to  bury  the  dead,  or  an  occasional  visit  to 
some  one  very  ill.  This  I  premise,  because  you  might 
otherwise  think  we  ''take  too  much  on  ourselves;"  for  in 
a  thoroughly  organized  parish,  the  clergyman,  of  course, 
would  take  the  initiative  in  many  things  which  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  lay-people  with  us.  Our  mission  is  pecu- 
liarly an  example  of  **  woman's  work  in  the  Church;"  the 
only  gentleman  connected  with  it  is  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday-school,  and  otherwise  engaged  except  on  Sunday. 

I  think  you  were  in  the  city  rather  more  than  two  years 
ago,  when  I  held  the  first  session  of  my  class,  numbering 
three  men,  in  the  house  of  a  shoemaker,  near  the  church. 
In  three  months  it  numbered  ten,  and  we  were  too  many 
for  one  room.  It  was  then  removed  nearer  the  church, 
and  it  has  continued  to  migrate  until  we  now  have  space 
to  seat  ninety ;  and  yesterday  it  was  my  privilege  to  have 
eighty-three  present.     There  are  about  one  hundred  and 


3i6  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

twenty-five  on  the  roll,  collected  without  patronage  or  any- 
other  pecuniary  inducement ;  all  are  working  men,  chiefly 
mechanics,  some  well  skilled  and  with  good,  plain  education, 
— some  just  able  to  maintain  themselves  from  week  to  week 
at  carpet-weaving  or  kindred  employments,  in  the  factories 
within  a  mile  of  the  church.  Every  grade  of  intelligence 
is  to  be  found  among  these  people,  who  represent  almost 
every  Christian  denomination,  and  even  semi-infidels  and 
Mormons.  There  are  three  master-machinists  who  employ 
respectively  from  fifteen  to  sixty  men ;  tliere  are  men  who 
can  scarcely  read,  a  few  who  cannot  write.  I  state  this  to 
show  the  difficulty  of  answering  your  questions  :  "  Had  you 
any  plan  or  method  in  organizing  your  class?  Did  you  in- 
vite in  a  general  way,  or  did  you  specify  what  it  was  to  be 
like,  and  what  you  expected  of  them  ?" 

The  modes  of  reaching  the  men  are  as  multiform  as  their 
occupations,  —  always  varied  according  to  circumstances 
and  opportunities,  yet  never  general, — each  invitation  to 
come  to  the  class  is  given  individually,  and  presented  in 
the  way  most  likely  to  attract  that  individual.  "  All  things 
to  all  men,"  if  we  would  win  souls  to  Christ.  One  is  in- 
vited to  join  the  class  to  receive  instruction  in  the  best 
things;  one  is  invited  to  come  and  see  "what  a  class  is 
like,  taught  by  a  woman,"  which,  by  the  way,  has  drawn 
several  who  are  now  regular  attendants.  One  is  told  "it  is 
a  class  in  which  scholars  take  part,  ask  questions  and  state 
their  views;"  another  is  assured  "he  can  sit  quietly  and 
listen  without  any  danger  of  exposing  his  ignorance."  One 
is  asked  to  come  because  "  he  will  find  some  of  his  friends 
there  who  enjoy  the  class;"  another,  who  feels  isolated  in 
the  country  or  neighborhood,  is  urged  to  "  come  and  form 
a  Christian  association;"  and  so  I  might  go  on,  for  as  I 
look  on  my  roll-book  I  am  reminded  of  the  various  ways 
by  which  different  members  have  been  won,  and  I  can  truly 
say  no  rule  will  do  for  all.     In  every  case,  however,  they 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  317 

are  told  that  the  purpose  of  meeting  is  to  study  together 
that  Word  which  is  able  to  make  us  wise  unto  salvation. 
I  will  send  you,  in  another  letter,  a  leaf  or  two  from  my 
journal  of  specific  cases,  which  may  interest  and  help  you. 
I  am  always  unwilling  to  receive  a  vague  promise  of  coming 
''some  time;"  and  if  a  man  tells  me  he  has  an  engagement 
for  next  Sunday,  and  for  the  next  also,  I  claim  the  first  dis- 
engaged Sunday,  make  a  note  of  it,  and  if  he  is  not  there  I 
visit  his  house  that  week  to  see  if  he  is  sick  or  in  trouble, 
as  he  has  failed  to  keep  his  engagment.  If  he  comes  to  the 
class  at  the  time  appointed,  I  always  notice  it,  sometimes 
commend  him  for  his  punctuality  in  keeping  his  promises, 
and  secure  his  name  as  soon  as  possible  on  my  roll.  Some- 
times the  latter  is  refused  or  postponed, — he  is  ''not  pre- 
pared for  such  a  step,  but  will  come."  In  a  few  more 
Sundays  I  ask  if  I  shall  call  his  name  as  a  member,  or  he 
himself  says,  "You  have  not  called  me." 

This  brings  me  to  my  custom  of  roll-calling,  which  I 
have  only  had  for  the  last  six  months.  As  the  class  received 
a  sudden  impetus  about  that  time,  the  old  members  said 
they  wanted  to  know  all  who  came  and  give  them  welcome, 
but  did  not  like  to  ask  a  man  abruptly,  "  What  is  your 
name?"  then  I  concluded  to  give  a  few  minutes  tonhe  roll- 
call.  Each  answers  to  his  name,  and  I  recommend  this  to 
you  especially,  as  it  helps  to  make  those  who  sit  side  by 
side  familiar  with  each  other.  When  one  joins  us  who  is 
strange,  he  is  at  once  introduced  to  some  two  or  three  who 
are  likely  to  be  social  with  him  or  useful  to  him,  and  placed 
in  some  sense  under  the  friendly  care  of  one  in  the  same 
neighborhood  with  him.  The  latter  calls  for  him  on  Sun- 
days, or  reminds  him  through  the  week  of  the  class,  until 
he  is  identified  with  us,  and  he,  in  his  turn,  brings  some 
one  else.  I  do  all  I  can  to  weld  the  class  together  by  so- 
cializing it,  by  asking  one  to  call  and  see  another  who  is 
absent  or  sick,  or  by  making  one  the  bearer  of  a  note,  or 

27* 


31 8  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

book,  or  message  to  another.  I  feel  that  much  more  is 
needed  in  this  direction,  and  I  am  planning  how  a  reading- 
room  can  be  provided  for  their  use  during  two  or  three 
evenings  in  the  week.  If  this  project  succeeds,  or  fails,  I 
will  let  you  know  at  some  future  time. 

You  ask  my  "mode  of  teaching,  and  how  I  manage  to 
keep  up  their  attention."  That  is  the  marvel  to  me.  The 
teaching  is  as  simple  as  it  possibly  can  be.  Notice  is  given 
of  the  lesson  for  the  following  Sunday  and  the  study  of  it 
urged,  but  I  am  afraid  this  is  done  by  few.  I  read  the 
portion  aloud,  each  man  has  Bible  in  hand,  and  then  I 
teach  just  as  in  a  Sunday-school  class,  giving  an  explanation, 
verse  by  verse,  varying  it  or  aiding  it  by  Scripture  refer- 
ences, while  one  or  another  reads,  all  the  class  turning  to 
the  place,  and  thus  ac(piiring  what  I  think  valuable, — a 
habit  of  manipulating  the  Book  from  which  all  spiritual 
nourishment  is  drawn.  I  ask  cjuestions,  sometimes,  of  a 
general  nature,  and  of  all  the  class ;  sometimes  an  explana- 
tion of  a  verse  from  some  man  whom  I  think  ready  or  de- 
sirous to  answer  questions.  Sometimes  a  difficulty  which  I 
know  to  be  in  the  mind  of  a  man  is  met  by  my  asking  a 
question  of  his  neighbor ;  this  brings  out  the  mind  or  sen- 
timents 'of  two  or  three  others  in  a  discussion  which  may 
last  five  minutes.  So  far,  I  have  been  able  to  hold  the 
check-reins,  and  to  control  perfectly  any  spirit  of  debate; 
but  for  a  young  teacher  like  yourself  I  should  think  it  un- 
desirable to  try  this  mode.  It  interests  me,  and  helps  me 
to  individualize  the  class,  and  know  the  status,  intellectual, 
moral,  and  spiritual,  of  each  man,  as  I  could  not  if  I  were 
the  only  querist.  Scarcely  a  Sunday  passes  without  one  or 
more  questions  being  propounded  to  me,  foreign  to  the 
lesson.  If  a  very  brief  rei)ly  will  do,  I  give  it ;  if  not,  I  ask 
the  person  to  wait  till  after  class,  and  then  I  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  explaining  and  enforcing  Christian  truth  to  him 
alone.     After  thus  going  over  the  lesson,  I  gather  it  all  up. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  319 

if  a  narration,  making  it  as  graphic  and  vivid  as  I  can,  and 
then  close  with  the  practical  truth  to  be  drawn  from  it  all. 
It  is  important  always  to  make  some  one  point,  to  have 
some  central  idea  in  all  your  teaching,  and  thus  to  avoid 
generalities.  Illustrate,  when  you  can,  from  every-day  life, 
from  events  of  the  day,  matters  Avhich  come  under  your 
observation,  or  facts  in  history;  group  around  your  subject 
as  much  life  as  you  can.  Never  let  your  class  separate  with- 
out having  pointed  them  to  Christ  as  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life.  I  close  with  prayer,  generally  selected  from 
the  Prayer-Book,  and,  after  a  hymn,  call  the  roll ;  one  hour 
and  a  quarter  is  our  limit  in  time. 

I  generally  keep  one  of  the  class  for  private  conversa- 
tion and  prayer,  sometimes  at  his  own  request,  to  have 
some  passage  of  Scripture  explained,  or  to  talk  of  his  own 
j/^/V'////^/ condition  and  interests,  or  to  tell  me  of  some  joy 
or  sorrow  in  his  household  or  his  business.  You  would  be 
amused  if  you  could  know  all  the  ''experiences  of  life" 
poured  into  my  ear,  and  brought  to  me  for  sympathy  and 
for  advice.  On  Sundays,  however,  I  try  to  keep  all  secu- 
larities  out,  and  press  the  claims  of  a  crucified  Saviour 
home  to  the  heart  with  earnest  entreaty  if  my  friend  is  not 
a  Christian,  and  give  such  counsel  or  help  as  may  edify 
and  build  him  up,  if  he  is  already  a  disciple.  We  never 
separate  under  these  circumstances  till  we  have  knelt  to- 
gether at  the  throne  of  grace.  This  prayer,  with  one  per- 
son, is  always  extempore  and  special,  and  it  makes  a  deep 
impression  ;  often  a  man  lingers  after  the  others  have  gone, 
to  ask  me  to  pray  with  him. 

You  ask  if  I  visit  them  regularly  at  their  homes?  The 
most  discouraging  part  of  the  work,  the  only  discouraging 
part,  is  the  difficulty  of  seeing  the  men  during  the  week. 
Many  of  them  ask  me  to  come  at  their  dinner  hour;  but 
it  is  usually  unsatisfactory.  I  rarely  go  to  their  houses  for 
a  visit  at  this  hour,  unless  invited  to  do  so  by  themselves  or 


320  WOMEN  IIELPKRS   IX   'HIE    CIIVRCII, 

their  wives.  1  sometimes  look  in  for  :i  moment,  nnd  speak 
a  friendly  word,  and  leave  a  tract  or  hymn-book ;  this 
serves  to  familiarize  them  with  me.  I  have  sometimes  gone 
to  their  workshops  and  factories,  and,  in  the  midst  of  the 
noise  of  machinery,  have  had  iive  or  ten  minntes'  conversa- 
tion with  some  one  who  had  been  absent  or  seemingly  in- 
different, which  has  resulted  in  more  regular  attendance 
and  more  attentive  hearing.  They  think  it  such  a  mark 
of  interest  in  a  lady  to  come  to  a  noisy,  dirty  mill  to  look 
after  a  poor  working  man,  that  it  is  little  enough  they  can 
do  to  accept  her  kindness,  and  return  her  visit  by  going  to 
Bible-class  on  Sunday.  lUit  I  have  far  exceeded  the  limits 
of  a  letter,  and  must  reserve  the  full  reply  to  this  and  other 
queries  for  a  future  time,  when  1  will  give  the  promised 
extracts  from  my  diary,  that  you  may  see  how  special  cases 
have  been  successfully  treated.  Ten  of  these  men  have 
progressed  so  far  that  they  teach  in  the  Sunday-school  in 
the  afternoon,  as  well  as  go  to  Bible-class  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  prayerful  study  of  God's  Word  has  been  signally 
blessed  to  the  awakening  and  strengthening  of  their  souls. 

When  I  am  disposed  to  shrink  from  the  responsibility  of 
imparting  religious  instruction  in  the  cottage,  by  the  way- 
side, or  to  large  classes  of  women  on  Thursday  evening, 
and  to  men  on  Sunday,  I  am  reassured  by  the  recollection 
that  my  responsibility  will  be  fearfully  increased  if  I  decline 
to  use  any  knowledge  of  the  Scrii)tures  that  1  can  accpiire, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  less  favored  people  who  swarm  around 
our  city.  Words  and  acts  of  kindness  to  men  and  women, 
springing  from  the  heart,  make  them  docile  learners,  even 
in  cases  where  there  seemed  to  be  the  most  persistent  re- 
fusal to  attend  public  worship.  Small  beginnings  make  it 
easy  to  the  most  timid  and  self-distrustful  teacher,  as  she 
always  gains  confidence  with  the  growth  of  her  class. 


THFJR   SAYVA'CS  AND   DOINGS.  321 

'11  IK    liANlSIll-:i). 

''OoD  (loth  devise  mc;ins  that  his  banished  be  not  ex- 
l)cllcd  liuni  Him;"  and  women  wiser  than  her  of  Tekoah 
are  now  sutcessfiilly  pleading  tor  those  who  are  virtually 
exi)elled  from  (iod's  liouse.  'i'hese  prayers  bear  tiie  only 
true  test  of  sincerity,  for  the  women  offer  themselves  to  aid 
in  seeking  out  and  restoring  the  "banished,"  and  in 
making  them  weh ome  in  the  family  of  Christ.  'I'hey  also 
obey  the  apostolic  injunction,  by  "comforting  the  feeble- 
minded, supporting  the  weak,  and  being  patient  towards 
all  men."  These  women  manifest  the  Si)irit  of  Christ,  by 
remembering  that  it  is  written,  "The  stranger  that  dvvell- 
eth  with  you  shall  be  unto  you  as  one  born  among  ycju, 
and  thou  shalt  love  him  as  thyself." 

The  following  paper,  luing  the  extrac  t  from  a  diary 
promised  in  the  letter  on  Men's  P)ible-(  lasses,  illustrates 
one  of  the  many  modes  by  whi(  h  "the  stranger"  is  sought 
out  and  the  "banished"  is  restored  to  Christ  and  his 
Churdi.  VV. 

Siflonher  25///. — While  paying  a  visit  to  Mrs.  R to- 
day, a  respectable-looking  woman,  with  a  child  in  her 
arms,  came  in  and  seated  herself  nearly  opposite  me, 
taking  no  i)art  in  the  ( onversation,  but  listening  attentively 
to  what  1  was  saying,  as  well  as  to  the  few  Scripture  verses 
1  read  at  the  close  of  my  visit.  1  wius  coming  away,  when 
she  said,  "1  saw  you  coming  here,  and  I  came  on  })urpose 

to  see  you.    I  told  Mrs.  R I  would  get  you  to  see  what 

you  could  do  with  my  man,  to  get  him  to  go  to  church." 
Her  own  excuse  for  not  going  was  her  family  cares,  which 
were  indeed  numerous;  but  she  said,  "1  never  was  so  reg- 
ular in  going  as  my  husband  was  in  the  old  country;  he 
Wius  never  so  hai)[)y  as  at  <  hurch  and  Sunday-s{  IkjoI,  and  in 


322  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

the  four  years  in  this  country  he  has  only  been  once  inside 
of  a  church."  She  told  me  he  had  been  a  Sunday-school 
teacher  for  many  years  at  home.  He  had  found  folks  here 
so  cold  and  unsocial,  etc.  I  promised  to  call  and  see  him 
some  Sunday ;  she  begged  I  would  give  no  intimation  of 
her  having  spoken  to  me  of  him. 

26//J. — After  six  o'clock  p.m.,  I  knocked  at  her  door, 
and  in  response  to  the  call,  ''Come  in,"  I  passed  into  their 
back  room,  where  the  family  were  all  seated  at  tea;  with 
apologies  for  not  having  opened  the  door,  she  begged  me 
to  be  seated,  I  said  I  had  not  time,  it  was  mothers'  meet- 
ing evening,  could  she  not  manage  to  come  up  to  it  with 
Mrs.  R ?  She  repeated  the  excuse  I  had  already  re- 
ceived, and  I  said,  "Well,  then,  you  must  introduce  me  to 
your  husband  and  I  will  give  hun  an  invitation."  He  rose 
when  he  heard  my  name;  said  he  had  heard  of  me,  was 
glad  to  make  my  acquaintance;  and  I  said,  "My  time  is 
too  short  now  to  talk;  I  invite  you  to  come  and  see  me 
on  Sunday  morning,  and,  after  Bible-class,  we  can  get  ac- 
quainted." "He  did  not  know, — he  did  not  think  he 
could  come, — he  did  not  go  to  such  places  now.''^  I  seized 
upon  the  now  and  asked,  "  Did  you  use  to  go?"  "Oh,  yes, 
in  the  old  country  always."  "Coming  to  a  new  country, 
away  from  the  old  home  influences,  you  did  not  think  reli- 
gious privileges  needful ;  you  can  get  along  without  religion 
here;  is  that  it?"  "Indeed,"  he  said,  "it  would  seem  just 
the  reverse ;  but  I  have  been  very  neglectful ;  I  will  come 
some  day  and  tell  you  how  it  has  been  with  me."  "  I  shall 
expect  you  next  Sunday,  then."  "  I  have  made  an  engage- 
ment for  that,  but  the  Sunday  after  you  will  see  me." 

October  6th. — Mr.  E was  at  the  Bible-class  accord- 
ing to  promise,  and  said,  "  He  would  not  promise  to  come 
always,  but  liked  it  well  enough  to  give  his  name  for  my 
roll-book  as  a  member  for  the  class." 

i2,th. — Disappointed  not  to  see  Mr.  E .     Called  in 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  323 

the  week  and  heard  from  his  wife  that  he  had  been  much 
interested  in  the  way  the  class  was  conducted,  and  really 
sorry  that  some  company  had  prevented  his  going  last 
Sunday. 

20th. — Mr.  E again  with  us.     I  introduced  him  to 

B ,  and  M ,  and  W ,  as  a  stranger  who  had 

joined  our  little  company,  and  I  hoped  he  would  feel  at 

home  with  us.     In  the  afternoon  I  stopped  for  M ,  to 

go  with  me  and  see  G ,  who  was  in  much  affliction  at 

the  loss  of  his  lovely  child.    After  paying  that  visit,  I  said, 

"  I  am  going  to  see  E ,  to  get  better  acquainted  with 

him;  suppose  you  come  in  with  me  for  a  little  while." 
We  found  him  reading,  and  he  said  he  had  been  look- 
ing a  little  into  the  morning  Bible  lesson.     M asked 

'•How  he  liked  the  class?"  ''Very  much;  he  intended 
to  come  regularly;  he  wished  he  had  known  of  it  sooner." 
After  a  few  words  of  warm  invitation  to  church,  I  was 
about  to  leave,  when  he  asked  if  I  "could  stay  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  and  talk  with  him?"      "Of  course  I 

could."     M left  us  alone,  and  Mr.   E said,   "I 

want  to  tell  you  how  far  off  the  track  I  have  been.  In 
four  years  I  have  been  only  once  inside  of  a  church."  He 
had  never  been  a  communicant  of  the  Church  at  home, 
but  for  many  years  had  been  a  constant  attendant  on 
Church  services  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school.  He 
had  felt  it  an  especial  trial,  in  coming  to  this  new  country, 
to  leave  those  beloved  associations.  On  settling  in  Phila- 
delphia, he  had  found  no  Church  of  England  service  near 
him,  had  delayed  for  a  few  weeks  going  anywhere  ;  but  one 
Sunday,  Bible  in  hand  (because  in  the  old  country  he  had 
always  read  the  lessons  from  the  Bible  in  church),  he  went 
to  the  place  of  worship  nearest  to  him.  He  walked  slowly 
up  the  middle  aisle  and  back  again.  Not  a  pew  door  was 
opened,  not  a  welcome  hand  put  out  to  him ;  nothing  but 
a  stare,  as  if  he  were  an  intruder;  this  was  very  different 


324  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

from  his  own  church  at  home,  where  every  stranger  was 
welcomed  warmly.  Going  at  length  into  ''the  most  insig- 
nificant seat"  he  could  find, — the  last  pew  in  the  church, — 
he  thought  he  would  at  least  be  undisturbed;  but  three 
ladies  came  to  the  door,  looked  as  if  they  thought  him  im- 
pertinent, crowded  him  in  the  corner,  sang  with  evident 
satisfaction  from  //^(?/r  hymn-books,  never  noticing  that  the 
stranger  at  their  side  had  none  to  sing  from.  He  left  the 
church,  little  profited  by  the  services,  determined  never  to 
enter  that  building  again.  He  said  no  one  could  have  an 
idea  of  the  chill  such  a  reception  gave  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land.  He  hoped  I,  as  a  teacher,  might  use  this 
as  a  hint  to  Christian  people  of  the  value  of  courtesy  and 
kindly  feeling  in  the  church. 

Furthermore,  he  added,  ''In  the  four  years  I  have  been 
in  the  country,  no  one  has  ever  invited  me  to  go  to  church, — 
no  one  has  ever  asked  if  I  went  to  church  at  all, — no  one 
has  ever  spoken  to  me  of  my  soul  till  you  did.  I  have 
worked  in  machine-shops  with  men,  professors  of  religion, 
scores  of  them,  and  have  often  wondered  they  took  no  in- 
terest in  this ;  but  to  this  day,  you  are  the  first  and  only 
one  who  has  approached  me  on  this  subject." 

Much  more  he  said,  acknowledging  frankly  that  he  was 
without  excuse  for  his  neglect  of  public  worship  and  other 
Christian  duties ;  he  had  not  felt  happy,  especially  of  late 
he  had  realized  he  was  going  down-hill.  His  life-long 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  temperance  had  kept  him  from  the 
snare  of  drink,  and  thus  far  his  outward  morality  had 
been  preserved ;  but  he  was  utterly  careless  as  to  Sunday 
observances,  and  was  adrift. 

He  thanked  me  warmly  for  my  interest  in  him,  and  hoped 
it  would  be  for  good  ;  he  would  be  in  church  next  Sunday. 
We  prayed  together,  and  I  left  with  him  a  little  book, 
*'  Come  to  Jesus." 

It  is  nearly  five  months  since  he  first  came  to  the  class. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  325 

One  absence  only  is  noted,  and  I  find  "  S,"  for  sick, 
in  my  book  on  that  day.  On  the  fifth  Sunday  I  asked  if 
he  would  supply  the  place  of  an  absent  teacher  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. He  did  so  gladly,  and  now  has  a  class  of  his 
own.  His  serious  attention  was  very  evident  about  two 
months  ago,  and  I  said  one  day,  ''  I  want  very  much  an 
opportunity  of  conversation  with  you."  His  reply  was, 
"  I  was  going  to  say  the  same  to  you  to-day ;  I  cannot  get 
on  without  help."  I  had  written  several  notes  to  him,  had 
called  at  his  house  and  had  brief  conversations  with  him ; 
but  now  his  attendance  at  church  twice,  and  Bible-class  and 
Sunday-school,  left  no  time  on  Sunday  ;  I  therefore  ap- 
pointed for  him  to  come  and  see  me  at  my  house,  a  certain 
evening  that  week. 

He  came,  and  began  at  once  to  say,  ''  that  he  needed 
help;  he  could  not  understand  himself;  he  was  unhappy ; 
but  one  thought  in  his  mind  night  and  day.  He  could 
not  stand  where  he  now  did  ;  for  days  he  had  been  '*  pray- 
ing for  light,  for  guidance,  for  forgiveness,  through  Jesus 
Christ."  His  great  distress  was  caused  by  his  failure  to 
realize  that  fullness  of  joy  which  he  had  supposed  jjtiist  be 
felt  by  every  forgiven  sinner.  It  was  a  great  relief  to  him 
to  pour  out  into  a  sympathizing  ear  his  perplexities  and 
anxieties  and  struggles,  and  it  was  very  touching  to  me  to 
see  the  strong  man  bowed  down  by  a  sense  of  his  own  help- 
lessness and  of  his  need  of  a  Saviour.  I  made  no  full  note 
of  the  conversation  ;  but  one  illustration  gave  him  comfort 
and  struck  him  forcibly.  ''Suppose  you  had  been  nearly 
drowned,  and  battling  almost  hopelessly  with  the  waves 
which  had  well-nigh  overwhelmed  you,  and  a  mighty  de- 
liverer, at  imminent  hazard  of  his  own  life,  snatched  you 
from  your  peril  and  had  placed  you  upon  a  rock  far  above 
the  surging  waves.  Standing  there  safe,  but  wet  and  shiv- 
ering, would  you  have  distressed  yourself  because  you  did 
not  immediately  feel  warmth  and  comfort?     Would  you 

28 


326  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

not  gratefully  look  to  your  benefactor,  and  trust  that  the 
same  love  which  had  saved  your  life  would  give  you  the 
things  needful  for  its  preservation, — would  clothe  you  and 
warm  you  and  feed  you  ?  So  trust  the  loving  Saviour ;  he 
will  warm  you  with  his  love,  strengthen  you  by  the  in- 
fluence of  his  Holy  Spirit,  clothe  you  with  the  robe  of 
his  righteousness,  feed  you  from  his  Holy  Word.  Thus 
will  you  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  his  will, 
and  enjoy  that  peace  which  He  promises  to  give.  Look 
off  from  self;  look  ever  to  Jesus;  trust  Him,  love  Him, 
*  He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up 
for  us  all,  how  shall  He  not  with  Him  freely  give  us  all 
things?'  " 

Troubled  by  thoughts  of  sin  and  by  his  old  habits,  feelings, 
and  associations,  which  seemed  to  cast  him  down  into  a 
state  of  hopelessness,  and  make  him  doubt  his  acceptance, 
I  said,  "Suppose  your  queen  had  graciously  sent  for  you 
and  had  adopted  you  as  her  son,  and  given  you  the  full 
privileges  of  sonship, — would  you  expect  at  once  to  rid  your- 
self of  habits  of  thought  and  expressions  usual  to  you  in 
your  former  lowly  sphere?  Would  you  expect  at  once 
to  adopt  with  ease  courtly  phraseology  and  sentiments, 
adapted  to  your  new  position?  You  would  not  distress  your- 
self with  the  fear  that  you  had  made  a  mistake,  and  that  her 
Majesty  had  not  adopted  you.  You  would  trust  her  royal 
word,  and  put  forth  every  energy  that  yoj  might  adapt 
yourself  to  the  new  state  of  life  in  which  you  found  your- 
self. You  would  use  every  means  she  placed  at  your  dis- 
posal to  discipline  yourself  and  learn  what  you  ought  to  be 
and  to  do.  Just  so  with  you  now ;  your  heavenly  Father 
has  placed  before  you  the  means  of  grace,  prayer,  the 
reading  of  his  Word,  the  ordinances  of  his  Church.  Use 
them  diligently  and  you  will  realize  more  and  more  the 
preciousness  of  being  privileged  to  cry,  '  Abba,  Father.'  " 

I  found  he  had  not  talked  freely  to  his  wife  on  the  sub- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  327 

ject  of  religion.  "  I  see,"  he  said,  "  I  have  been  very  self- 
ish,— I  know  she  must  have  observed  a  change  in  me,  but, 
satisfied  with  that,  I  have  never  told  her  of  my  purpose, 
God  helping  me,  or  said  a  word  to  her  about  her  own  soul. 
Tell  me  anything  you  think  I  ought  to  do.  I  have  told  my 
old  friends  that  I  have  become  a  church-goer,  and  have  re- 
solved to  give  the  Lord  all  of  his  own  day  ;  but  I  shall  go  fur- 
ther now  than  that."  Family  prayer  was  proposed.  ''Thank 
you  for  that  suggestion;  yes,  I  must  have  a  family  altar." 
''When  will  you  begin?"  "It  is  too  late  to-night,  for  I 
find  it  is  ten  o'clock, — but  to-morrow  we  will  begin." 
After  prayer  for  God's  blessing,  and  the  leading,  sanctify- 
ing, and  governing  influences  of  his  spirit,  we  parted. 

When  he  reached  home  that  night,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  he  knelt  in  prayer  with  his  wife,  and  every  night 
since,  with  wife  and  children,  he  has  had  family  devotions. 

Three  weeks  ago  he  said  he  wanted  to  bring  his  two 
American  children  to  the  same  privileges  his  English  chil- 
dren had  enjoyed,  by  dedicating  them  to  God  in  baptism. 
He  said  afterwards  that  he  felt  at  the  font  that  he  then  and 
there  renewed  for  himself  those  solemn  vows  taken  for  him 
in  infancy.  He  is  prayerfully  considering  the  question  of 
confirmation,  having  some  little  difficulties  in  his  mind 
which  I  feel  sure  will  all  be  dispelled  in  time.  He  is  honest 
and  thoughtful  and  earnest.  I  think  it  unwise  to  hurry 
him ;  he  is  very  attentive  at  Bible-class,  and  I  find  it  very 
easy  in  the  course  of  the  lesson  to  aim  some  especial  truth 
at  him,  which  I  know  must  find  a  lodgment,  and  will  con- 
vince him  some  day  that  he  ought  to  be  in  full  communion 
with  the  Church.  This  shows  how  ripe  is  the  harvest,  only 
needing  that  the  sickle  be  put  in.  When  you  pray  that  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  may  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest, 
will  you  not  also  pray  that  your  eyes  may  be  opened  to  see 
if  some  work  is  not  at  your  own  door  which  you  can  do, 
to  bring  near  the  glorious  day  when  all  the  kingdoms  of  this 


328  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  I^ord  and  of  his 
Christ?  Ask  your  minister  or  other  experienced  Christian 
worker  to  aid  you  in  your  first  efforts  for  the  salvation  or 
the  spiritual  comfort  of  others.  The  beginning  may  be  ever 
so  small, — the  disposition  and  the  pleasure  will  grow  as  you 
exercise  the  Spirit  of  Christ  that  is  in  you. 


THE    PREJUDICED. 

The  successes  recorded  in  the  following  and  similar 
papers  reveal  a  way  by  which  the  great  outlying  mass  of 
prejudiced  adults  can  be  first  won  to  Christ,  and  then  grafted 
into  the  Church. 

All  who  are  in  the  flesh  are  subject  to  prejudices  that 
narrow  the  access  to  the  mind  and  close  the  heart ;  but,  as 
the  uneducated  are  specially  exposed  to  this  baleful  influ- 
ence, every  orderly  mode  of  benefiting  this  large  class 
should  be  carefully  considered.  It  has  been  satisfactorily 
demonstrated  that  many  who  had  strong  prejudices  against 
certain  churches  or  ministers,  were  so  free  from  prejudice 
against  religion,  that  its  claims  were  readily  admitted  and 
its  blessed  influences  yielded  to  in  heart  and  life  when 
divine  love  was  commended  gently,  perseveringly,  and  pray- 
erfully. W. 

G ,  a  young  man  of  uncommon  gentleness  and  love- 
liness of  character,  had,  through  his  three  years  of  army 
life,  kept  free  from  the  customary  vices  of  the  soldier,  and 
was  consequently  fully  persuaded  that  he  had  done  all  that 
was  required  of  him  ;  he  had  no  sense  of  sin  and  no  reali- 
zation of  his  need  of  a  Saviour.  At  one  period  of  these 
three  years  he  had  prayed,  having  promised  that  he  would 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  329 

do  so  if  delivered  from  danger  on  a  certain  battle-field. 
This  he  looked  upon  as  rather  a  meritorious  act,  and  not  at 
all  as  a  precious  privilege,  or  as  the  approach  of  a  sinner, 
poor  and  needy,  to  the  alone  fountain  of  pardon  and  grace. 

He  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and 
brought  to  the  hospital.  He  was  but  one  among  hundreds, 
and  though  I  talked  with  him  frequently  and  lent  him  books, 
this  made  no  particular  impression  on  him  for  some  time. 

He  resumed  the  habit  of  prayer  on  the  day  he  was 
wounded,  but  his  prayers  were  of  the  same  stamp  as  those 
formerly  offered, — entirely  devoid  of  any  sense  of  sin  or  of 
need.  After  he  came  here  and  I  had  talked  with  him  often, 
he  expressed  some  interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  and  a 
desire  to  live  a  Christian  life,  and  was  glad  to  read  religious 
books. 

He  was  for  a  long  while  unwilling  to  go  to  the  chapel 
services,  being  greatly  prejudiced  against  the  Episcopal  Church. 
His  lameness  prevented  his  coming  to  the  Bible-class  until 
some  time  in  November,  when  he  soon  became  noticeable 
for  the  regularity  of  his  attendance,  his  seriousness,  and 
interest. 

After  class  one  morning,  I  asked  him  into  the  library  on 
the  plea  of  giving  him  a  book  to  read,  and  then  had  a  long 
and  serious  conversation  with  him,  in  which  he  expressed 
a  sincere  desire  to  be  a  Christian,  but  said  he  could  not 
be  ''earnest  enough"  about  it.  The  interview  was  closed 
with  prayer.  That  prayer,  he  has  often  told  me  since,  was 
the  turning-point  in  his  religious  life,  making  Christ  a 
present,  living  reality,  and  producing  a  deep  and  lasting 
effect.  When  we  arose  from  our  knees,  he  thanked  me 
with  weeping  eyes  for  what  I  had  done  for  him  by  intro- 
ducing him  to  the  Saviour.  From  this  time  our  interviews 
were  very  frequent ;  he  showed  great  earnestness  and  deep 
humility,  together  with  a  most  docile,  childlike  spirit. 

From  my  Diary  .^January  iWi.  G ,  as  usual,  anxious 

28* 


330  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

for  me  to  pray  with  him  ;  says  prayer  does  him  so  much  good. 
He  prays  for  himself  frequently  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
and  tries  to  be  very  earnest  in  prayer ;  reads  his  Testament 
a  great  deal  and  tries  to  keep  his  mind  constantly  fixed 
on  spiritual  things,  yet  feels  much  discouraged,  for  though 
he  has  left  off  many  bad  habits,  "it  does  not  seem  as  if 
he  had  done  so  from  love  to  his  Saviour, — he  makes  no 
progress." 

I  encouraged  him  by  showing  that  growth  in  nature  is 
gradual, — so  it  is  usually  in  grace.  We  begin  our  bodily 
life  as  feeble  infants,  and  grow  by  almost  imperceptible 
degrees  to  the  fullness  of  strength  and  stature.  The  corn 
is  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the 
.ear.  Look  within.  Is  there  any  true  sorrow  for  sin  no 
matter  how  feeble, — any  love  and  trust  in  your  Saviour? 
If  so,  the  means  of  progress  and  growth  are  within  your 
reach  :  prayer,  the  reading  of  God's  Word,  and  meditation 
on  the  love  of  that  adorable  Redeemer,  ''  who  so  \ovtA  you, 
that  He  gave  his  life  upon  the  bitter  cross  for  your  salva- 
tion." 

Jafiuary  2%th. — G feels  a  little  better,  but  something 

seems  wanting  ;  fears  he  has  not  done  enough  yet.  "  But," 
said  I,  "  there  is  nothing  for  you  to  do.  Christ  has  done 
all.  You  have  broken  God's  law, — He  has  kept  it  for  you. 
You  deserve  God's  wrath, — Christ  has  suffered  \\\  your  stead, 
has  purchased  pardon  for  you  with  his  own  most  precious 
blood,  and  now  he  comes  and  offers  to  welcome  you  in  his 
flimily  just  as  you  are.  You  are  drowning, — He  is  the  life- 
boat ;  you  cannot  save  yourself, — his  spirit  will  help  you  to 
get  in.  You  are  in  a  burning  house, — He  says,  'throw 
yourself  into  my  arms  ;'  do  so,  it  is  your  only  hope  of  safety. 
The  ^//"/ of  God  is  eternal  life;  you  do  not  have  to  earn, 
only  to  accept  it,  and  all  offers  are  valueless  until  the  sinner 
accepts." 

He  listened  very  attentively,  but  was  eager  for  prayer. 


THEIR   SAVINGS  AND  DOINGS.  331 

After  prayer  I  said,  "Now  you  must  try  to  realize  that 
you  have  a  right  to  pardon  and  peace."  "la  right?'''  said 
he;  "oh,  no,  I'm  too  great  a  sinner  yet."  "But,"  said  I, 
"  that  is  the  very  thing  which  gives  you  a  right.  Suppose 
you  hear  that  some  kind  friend  has  bought  a  farm  for  you ; 
you  hear  of  it,  but  think  there  may  be  some  mistake ;  but 
if  the  title-deed  is  put  into  your  hands,  and  you  see  that 
your  name  is  put  down  as  the  owner  of  the  property,  you 
can  doubt  no  longer,  but  thankfully  accept  the  gift.  Just 
so  is  it  with  salvation ;  our  Saviour  has  purchased  and  now 
offers  it  to  you,  a  sinner,  that  gratitude  may  make  you  a 
new  creature."  This  precious  gospel  truth  seemed  to  burst 
upon  him  as  a  new  revelation ;  the  cloud  of  anxiety  and 
fear  was  swept  away  from  his  countenance,  and  in  a  tone 
of  glad  surprise  he  said,  "  Is  it  so?  that  /have  nothing  to 
do  only  to  accept?  Oh,  how  good  that  is  !  but  it  does  not 
seem  possible,  and  yet  it  must  be  true,  for  you  say  so." 

"  Not  I,  G ,  but  God  himself  says  so.      '  The  blood 

of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin.'  'Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners. '  And  our  Saviour  says, 
'■  I  came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repent- 
ance.' "     I  then  repeated  that  beautiful  hymn, — 

"  Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea." 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  know  that  hymn,  and  I  have  known 
all  you  have  told  me,  but  I  never  understood  it  before,  and 
I  can't  now.  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  for  such  good  news  !  It 
seems  almost  too  good  to  be  true  !" 

I  never  in  my  life  saw  such  overflowing  happiness ;  it  was 
like  sight  to  the  blind,  liberty  to  the  captive,  life  to  the 
dead  !  I  again  knelt  with  him  to  thank  God  for  having 
thus  revealed  himself  to  him  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 

January  ^oth. — G— —  told  me  yesterday  that  he  felt 
like  a  new  man.     He  says  to-day  that  he  believes  the  glad 


332  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH, 

tidings  and  is  happy,  yet  doubts  will  steal  in ;  he  remem- 
bers his  wickedness,  and  it  seems  as  if  it  could  not  be  that 
God  will  freely  forgive  it  all, — it  seems  too  strange  and  won- 
derful to  be  true, — he,  so  great  a  sinner,  so  unworthy  !  But 
he  sees  it  in  the  Bible  and  in  every  religious  book  and  knows 
that  it  is  so,  and  he  reproaches  himself  for  allowing  these 
doubts.  Every  now  and  then  the  glorious  truth  that  his 
sins  are  all  forgiven,  flashes  across  his  mind  and  makes  him 
so  happy  he  can  hardly  contain  himself;  he  wishes  such 
happiness  would  last,  but  he  thinks  he  could  hardly  endure  it 
if  it  did.  He  said  with  deep  earnestness,  "  You  know  that 
I  have  mourned  for  my  sins,  that  though  I  have  these 
doubts,  I  do  believe  ;  now,  if  I  should  die  to-day,  what  do 

you  think  would  become  of  me?"     "G ,  I  feel  sure 

that  you  would  be  forever  with  the  Lord,  to  enjoy  per- 
petual felicity  in  those  mansions  which  Jesus  has  gone 
to  prepare  for  those  who  love  Him."  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  his  speaking  countenance  ;  it  was  radiant  with 
joy. 

I  spoke  then  of  the  obligation  laid  upon  us,  by  such  in- 
finite and  undeserved  love  on  the  part  of  our  divine  Saviour, 
to  devote  ourselves  to  his  service  and  to  show  our  gratitude 
by  our  lives.  St  Paul's  first  question,  when  Christ  revealed 
himself  to  him,  was,  "Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to 
do?"  "Yes,  I  have  already  asked  that  question."  "  Paul 
arose  and  was  baptized."  "Yes,  I  know  it  to  be  a  duty. 
I  wish  to.  be  baptized,  but  I  thought  I  had  something  else 
to  do  first." 

I  showed  him  from  various  Scripture  examples,  the  Ethi- 
opian eunuch,  etc.,  that  baptism  was  the  next  step  to  re- 
pentance and  faith,  and  the  question  of  baptism  was  soon 
decided.  His  simple  and  ardent  desire  is  to  do  everything 
he  can  to  show  his  love  to  his  Saviour ;  he  has  already, 
without  waiting  to  have  it  suggested  to  him,  been  speaking 
to  several  of  his  comrades  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and 


THEIR    SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


zz?> 


tr)'ing  to  lead  them  to  Christ,  but  feels  that  he  is  so  un- 
worthy, his  words  are  so  poor,  he  cannot  instruct  others. 

After  this,  he  went  through  a  regular  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  Catechism,  which  gave  me  the  opportunity  of 
watching  his  progress  constantly  and  carefully ;  it  was 
most  rapid  and  satisfactory,  a  daily  growth  in  grace  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ ;  his 
humility  and  self-distrust  were  remarkable,  and  led  to  oc- 
casional despondency  and  fears  lest  after  all  he  might  be 
making  some  mistake.  He  was  one  day  expressing  these 
fears.  I  said,  "  You  know  you  are  sincere, — that  it  is  your 
chief  desire  to  love  and  serve  your  Saviour, — that  for  this 
you  would  willingly  lay  down  your  life." 

"  Indeed,  I  would  ;  it  would  give  me  joy  at  this  moment 
to  lay  down  my  life  if  I  might  thereby  know  that  I  was 
his  child!" 

On  the  27th  of  February  he  was  baptized ;  it  was  a  joy- 
ous day  to  him,  for  he  felt  that  in  that  sacrament  he  received 
the  sign  and  seal  of  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins. 

On  returning  to  his  regiment  he  was  deeply  grieved  at 
the  increasing  demoralization  of  his  comrades.  Until  he 
was  again  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  his 
efforts  were  unceasing  to  benefit  his  fellow- soldiers,  and 
were  attended  with  some  measure  of  success.  Once  more 
with  his  regiment  near  Petersburg,  he  manifested  the  most 
simple  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  is  testified  by  his 
comrades,  and  by  the  following  brief  extract  from  his 
letters : 

"I  am  once  more  with  my  old  comrades;  but  oh,  how 
they  have  changed  since  I  left  them,  ten  months  ago  ! 
Would  that  I  could  say  the  change  was  for  the  better !  but, 
alas  !  it  is  just  the  reverse.  I  lost  no  time  in  trying  to  in- 
form myself  of  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  company; 
but  oh,  how  it  made  my  heart  ache  to  see  one  after  another 
of  my  old  comrades  indulging  in  all  the  vices  that  are  com- 


334 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


mon  among  soldiers  !  Words  would  fail  to  express  the 
deep  sorrow  and  disappointment  I  felt  when  I  saw  one  who 
had  formerly  been  my  bosom  friend  and  constant  companion 
indulging  in  vices  that  he  used  to  shrink  from  with  feelings 
of  sorrow  and  disgust.  I  gently  reproved  him,  more  by 
looks  than  words,  and  he  appeared  for  a  time  greatly  em- 
barrassed ;  he  blushed,  his  eyes  sought  the  ground,  and  I 
watched  his  countenance  with  the  deepest  anxiety.  But 
my  scrutiny  proved  anything  but  satisfactory,  for  he  assumed 
a  stony  expression  that  I  never  thought  him  capable  of.  I 
almost  despaired  of  him  ;  but  remembering  your  advice,  I 
rallied,  and  set  about  the  work  with  my  whole  heart.  I 
went  straight  to  that  friend  who  is  ever  ready  to  hear  us 
when  we  cry  to  Him,  and  to  comfort  us  in  our  sorrow  ;  and 
oh,  dear  teacher,  it  was  so  delightful !  Never  before  did  I 
experience  such  feelings  of  love  for  that  blessed  Saviour 
whose  precious  blood  has  washed  away  my  sins.  Never  be- 
fore did  I  rest  more  fully  on  his  precious  promises,  or  feel 
his  presence  more  plainly.  He  calmed  my  troubled  soul 
and  bid  me  trust  in  Him.  Oh,  the  sweet  peace  that  fol- 
lowed !  You  can  imagine  what  it  was  like  by  your  own 
experience,  but  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  describe  it.  Oh, 
how  grateful  I  felt  to  you,  who  had  pointed  me  to  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world, — you,  who 
so  often  prayed  for  me  and  instructed  me  day  after  day ! 
I  never  could,  nor  never  can  find  words  to  express  my  grat- 
itude to  you  for  what  you  have  done  for  me ;  I  never  for- 
get to  pray  for  you.  I  was  dreadfully  disappointed  on 
learning  of  the  change  that  had  taken  place  among  my  old 
comrades,  but  now  I  am  more  determined  than  ever  to  per- 
severe. It  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  I  have  prevailed 
upon  some  of  them  to  read  the  books  that  I  brought  along. 
Two  of  my  tent-mates  already  appear  to  be  a  little  con- 
cerned and  have  got  so  far  as  to  pray,  and  I  have  great 
hopes  of  them.     I  would  earnestly  beg  an  interest  in  your 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  335 

prayers  not  only  for  myself,  but  also  in  behalf  of  my  way- 
ward companions.  You  expressed  a  fear  that  I  would  find 
it  a  difficult  matter  to  kneel  down  in  the  tent ;  but  I  am 
happy  to  inform  you  I  was  not  embarrassed,  as  I  did  not 
trust  in  myself,  but  I  trusted  in  my  Saviour,  and  found  his 
grace  sufficient  for  me. 

"Please  accept  my  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  useful  advice 
contained  in  your  letter ;  I  do  not  think  you  could  have 
said  anything  that  would  have  been  more  useful  to  me,  for 
I  was  allowing  myself  to  be  troubled  about  the  welfare  of 
my  comrades  instead  of  trusting  in  God  to  bring  about  a 
reformation  among  them.  I  feel  sure,  dear  teacher,  that 
your  prayers  have  been  answered ;  God  has  dealt  so  gently 
with  me,  He  has  kept  me  out  of  temptations,  He  has  done 
everything  for  me.  Our  Saviour  has  been  ever  near  to  me, 
and  has  taught  me  what  to  say  and  how  to  act ;  and  T  am 
much  more  encouraged  than  I  was  when  I  last  wrote. 
Some  of  my  comrades  have  left  off  many  of  their  bad 
habits,  and  eight  of  them  went  with  me  to  the  camp  of  the 
70th  New  York  Regiment,  and  attended  divine  service  last 
Sabbath-day.  We  had  such  a  delightful  sermon,  so  very 
earnest  and  interesting,  all  about  our  Saviour;  the  best,  I 
believe,  I  ever  heard.  I  have  not  started  a  Bible-class  yet; 
I  made  but  a  very  feeble  effort,  but  was  unsuccessful;  I 
can  only  pray  that  God  will  give  me  more  grace  and 
wisdom  and  perseverance.  My  messmates  join  me  in  read- 
ing and  praying,  but  there  are  only  two  of  them,  and  con- 
sequently I  think  we  are  not  making  much  progress. 

*'I  have  persuaded  many  of  my  comrades  to  leave  off 
card-playing  and  swearing,  but  they  appear  to  do  so  more 
to  please  me  than  to  reform  their  ways,  and  you  know  that 
is  very  discouraging.  I  often  feel  that  you  are  praying  for 
me. 

*'I  suppose  you  will  be  surprised  to  hear  that  I  was 
wounded  again,  but  I  hope  that  I  will  be  fit  for  duty  in 


336 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 


two  weeks ;  we  have  seen  the  most  desperate  fighting  that 
I  ever  experienced.  I  wish  you  would  help  me  thank  God 
for  his  mercy  to  me.  Since  this  battle  commenced,  I  have 
been  in  places  where  I  thought  it  impossible  for  any 
creature  to  live,  and  yet  here  I  am  only  slightly  wounded. 
When  I  went  into  battle,  I  did  not  pray  that  I  might  be 
spared ;  I  just  prayed  that  God's  will  might  be  done.  It 
was  then  that  I  realized  what  it  was  to  be  a  Christian.    Oh, 

how  thankful   I   felt   that   I   had   once  been  sent  to 

Hospital  ! 

''  Line  of  Battle,  in  front  of  Petersburg.— \  believe  I  never 
attempted  to  write  at  a  more  critical  moment  than  the 
present  ;  one  of  our  batteries  is  firing  right  over  us.  and 
every  discharge  shakes  the  earth  ;  the  deadly  minie-balls 
are  flying  around,  and  the  huge  shells  are  shrieking  through 
the  air.  Indeed,  dear  teacher,  were  it  not  that  I  feel  that 
Jesus  has  prepared  me  for  death,  and  will  take  me  home  to 
heaven  when  He  sees  fit  to  remove  me  from  earth,  I  would 
be  unable  to  write  under  the  present  circumstances.  I 
have  almost  recovered  from  the  wound  I  received  in  the 
Wilderness,  but  I  was  struck  again  by  a  spent  minie-ball, 
which  only  inflicted  a  severe  bruise.  I  constantly  put  my 
trust  in  God,  and  all  is  well  with  me ;  I  can  see  the  hand 
of  God  in  everything ;  He  sustains  me,  and  I  am,  at  this 
present,  as  calm,  I  suppose,  as  you  ever  saw  me  at  the 
hospital.  I  need  not  tell  you  what  comfort  I  find  in  prayer; 
all  who  are  real  Christians  like  you  know  it." 


THEIR   SA  YINGS  AND   DOINGS.  337 


PROSPECTING. 

Searching  for  the  stores  of  precious  metals  which  have 
been  providentially  placed  within  the  reach  of  man,  is 
called  prospecting;  but  this  term  is  equally  applicable  to 
seeking  after  the  still  more  precious  souls  that  now  lie 
around  us,  either  rockbound  or  earthbound,  because  of  the 
lack  of  Christian  intelligence  and  zeal.  Little  machinery 
was  needed  to  collect  the  gold  that  had  been  placed  near 
the  surface  of  the  ground  as  a  lure  to  the  hardy  pioneers 
of  civilization ;  but  all  the  appliances  which  practical  skill 
and  science  can  devise,  are  now  required  to  draw  the  pre- 
cious metal  from  its  deep  hiding-places  in  the  earth  or  in 
the  solid  rock.  The  Church  was  long  contented  with  the 
rich  yield  of  its  easy  surface-work;  but  the  following  paper 
shows  that  in  some  districts  she  is  prospecting  in  each  hab- 
itable locality,  with  the  firm  determination  to  use  every 
divinely  authorized  agency  for  rescuing  that  which  alone 
has  any  permanent  value.  Surely,  under  the  gospel  dis- 
pensation, the  apparatus  of  the  Church  is  more  complete 
and  effective  than  that  of  the  miner  in  quartz  or  earth,  and 
the  incentive  to  save  souls  should  be  stronger  than  the 
greed  for  gold;  already  some  zealous  women  have  not 
only  been  prospecting,  but  also  working  so  diligently  and 
efficiently,  that  very  many  precious  souls  have  been  brought 
from  these  hitherto-neglected  regions  into  the  treasury  of 
the  Lord.  ^  • 

Dear  Sir, — In  the  providence  of  God  I  was  called  to 
spend  part  of  the  last  winter  in  a  parish  a  few  miles  from 
my  home.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  rector  and 
some  of  his  people,  I  commenced  a  'Mnothers'  meeting." 
They  had  long  desired  it,  having  both  heard  and  seen  how 
greatly  God  had  blessed  the  like  work  in  the  parish  to 
p  29 


338  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

which  I  belong.  The  rector  had  been  earnestly  working, 
but  outside  of  his  Sunday-school  had  for  some  time  labored 
single-handed;  and  felt  deeply  the  need  of  the  faithful  co- 
operation of  his  people. 

The  day  I  first  went  among  these  people,  accompanied 
by  my  friend,  one  of  the  parishioners,  I  made  six  visits. 
The  first  woman  at  whose  house  we  stopped  was  a  commu- 
nicant of  the  Church,  who  promised  to  come  to  our  meet- 
ing. The  next  three  were  all  of  English  extraction,  and 
in  the  habit  of  coming  to  service  now  and  then,  and  all 
their  children  belonged  to  the  Sunday-school.  They  each 
cheerfully  promised  to  come  to  the  meeting.  The  next  two 
were  Germans,  their  husbands  mechanics.  One  of  these 
women  had,  when  in  the  city,  attended  a  Lutheran  place 
of  worship,  but  since  removing  to  the  suburbs  had  gone  ?io- 
where.  She  did  not  know  any  one,  and  did  not  like  to  go 
alone.  She  desired  to  go,  and  wanted  to  send  the  children 
to  Sunday-scliool,  but  no  Christian  of  any  name  had  been 
to  see  them,  and  she  was  a  stranger.  She  promised  to 
come  to  the  meeting  if  she  might  come  late,  as  her  hus- 
band did  not  return  early  from  work.  This  we  told  her 
she  could  do.  In  the  next  house  we  found  a  mother  and 
six  children ;  everything  animate  and  inanimate  was  cov- 
ered with  dirt.  There  was  just  space  to  get  into  the  room 
and  sit  down;  three  half-clad  children  sat  upon  the  floor 
in  a  corner,  a  baby  in  the  mother's  arms,  and  a  filthy,  re- 
pulsive-looking child  of  eleven  years  leaned  upon  a  ragged, 
broken  lounge.  The  atmosphere  Avas  so  close,  it  was  some 
moments  before  I  could  breathe  freely  enough  to  speak. 
The  woman  had  a  pleasant  countenance,  but  was  entirely 
ignorant;  looked  with  wonderment  at  us  for  coming  to 
her,  but  was  pleased  that  any  felt  an  interest  in  her.  When 
told  of  the  meeting,  she  simply  said,  "I  cannot  leave  my 
home,  hardly  to  go  to  the  store;  that  one,"  she  continued, 
pointing  to  the  poor,  afflicted  girl,  "keeps  my  mind  busy 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AXD   DOIXGS.  339 

day  and  night,  fearing  she  may  be  hurt.  My  husband  has 
had  no  work  for  a  long  time;  the  children  are  poorly  off 
for  clothes,  or  I  would  be  glad  to  get  them  to  that  Sunday- 
school  in  the  Avenue"  (alluding  to  ours).  *'But  do  you 
never  leave  home?"  ''No,  never!  I  have  not  been  any- 
where for  years."  "Have  your  children  been  baptized?" 
*'Oh,  yes;  in  the  Lutheran."  ''Where  does  your  husband 
worship?"  With  a  silly  sort  of  laugh:  "Oh,  he  do  not  go 
anywhere;  he  do  not  care  about  Church."  I  afterward 
learned  from  her  that  he  was  a  hard,  blasphemous  German, 
constantly  drinking.  He  forbade  her  leaving  the  house  or 
having  anything  to  do  with  the  meeting.  I  made  her  sev- 
eral visits.  The  first  time  I  was  there,  I  left  her  a  tract, 
and  at  every  other  visit  she  asked  me  for  more;  her  eldest 
boy  could  read  quite  well.  What  darkness  in  this  home, 
and  in  these  hearts !  And  yet  but  a  patch  of  ground  lies 
between  them  and  the  sacred  temple,  where  the  glad  tidings 
of  the  gospel  are  preached.  She  cannot  go  to  be  taught; 
what  is  to  be  done  with  such?  Because  they  are  hemmed 
in  by  circumstances  which  keep  them  from  worshiping 
with  us  in  God's  house,  must  they  be  left  to  perish?  And 
to  whom  shall  the  thousands  of  families,  of  which  in  a 
great  measure  this  is  a  sample,  look,  to  be  guided  out  of 
the  weary  way  of  sin  and  misery?  The  rector  of  this  parish 
made  his  constant  round  of  visits  among  the  parents  of  his 
Sunday-school  children.  I  think  he  told  me  he  had  one 
hundred  families  which  he  was  visiting  almost  weekly. 
And  these  people  testify  to  his  faithful  care  over  them,  and 
entertain  for  him  a  sincere  affection.  One  woman  told  me 
she  did  not  know  what  to  do  if  her  pastor  missed  seeing 
her  every  two  weeks.  He  could  not  possibly  give  more 
time  than  he  does.  He  could  not  go  all  over  that  fast- 
increasing  population.  His  heart  may  yearn  for  them. 
They  may  be  but  ''waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel." 
But  were  the  hours  of  the  day  doubled,  and  had  he  the 


340     WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

strength  of  many  men,  it  would  be  beyond  the  limit  of  his 
powers  to  gather  in  all  these  people ;  and  when  they  were 
gathered  in,  do  the  still  greater  work  of  watching  over  them, 
guiding,  leading,  teaching;  for  to  them  it  must  be  given 
'Mine  upon  line,  precept  upon  precept."  Let  the  women, 
like  Persis,  in  the  days  of  St.  Paul,  gather  around  their  min- 
ister, and  "labor  much  in  the  Lord."  Let  them  go  forth 
with  earnest  hearts  into  their  homes,  praying  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  may  breathe  his  resurrection  power,  and  raise  these 
home-heathen  from  their  moral  and  spiritual  death  into  the 
light  and  life  which  is  ours  and  theirs  through  Christ  Jesus. 

Another  day  we  went  to  the  house  of  one  who  had  lately 
become  a  communicant;  first  to  ask  her  to  come  to  our 
meeting,  and  second  to  have  her  point  out  from  her  door 
the  Protestant  families  in  the  neighborhood.  She  kept  a 
store,  and  consequently  knew  everybody  in  her  immediate 
vicinity.  Near  her  lived  two  families  who  went  nowhere 
to  public  worship,  two  others  who  were  Church  people,  and 
several  Romanists.  Here,  then,  we  had  the  ground  pretty 
well  laid  out.  Next  to  this  woman  lived  a  German  family, 
who  had  lately  moved  there,  and  of  whom  we  knew  little; 
it  consisted  of  a  grandmother,  a  married  daughter,  the  two 
husbands,  and  several  children. 

The  grandmother,  early  trained  a  Lutheran,  would  be  so 
glad  to  see  a  minister  of  some  Protestant  faith,  and  put  the 
children  at  Sunday-school.  She  could  speak  little  English, 
and  therefore  felt  backward  about  hunting  one;  was  quite 
delighted  at  the  idea  of  the  meeting, — promised  to  come 
if  any  one  would  take  her.  I  told  her  some  one  should  do 
so.  We  then  went  back  to  the  little  store  and  told  our 
woman  there  that  here  lay  a  missionary  work  for  her  to  do; 
she  must  go  for  this  woman  on  Friday,  and  take  her  with 
her  to  the  mothers'  meeting. 

In  a  solitary-looking  house  near  by  lived  an  infidel,  we 
were  told.     We  knocked  at  th^  door;  the  woman  opened 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  341 

it  just  wide  enough  to  see  us.  I  saw  she  was  not  disposed 
to  invite  us  in,  so  I  stepped  upon  the  door-sill,  saying, 
"Shall  I  sit  down  a  little  while?  I  have  been  walking 
considerably,  and  want  to  see  you  a  few  moments."  Not 
very  graciously  she  complied  with  my  request.  All  around, 
the  place  looked  so  cheerless,  so  barren  ;  the  furniture  had 
apparently  been  very  good,  but  seemed  to  be  utterly  neg- 
lected. The  woman's  face  was  the  hardest  I  ever  saw ;  deep 
lines  marked  it,  which  made  the  swarthy  skin  and  uncombed 
black  hair  look  more  uncomely  still.  Her  answers  to  my 
kind  inquiries  were  sharp  and  short.  I  gathered  from  her 
that  she  had  lost  two  children,  and  I  stored  that  knowledge 
away  to  be  used  again,  after  I  had  sounded  the  depths  of 
this  God-despising  family.  I  asked  her  to  what  church  her 
husband  went.  *'  None  ;  he  hates  churches  and  ministers." 
*'  Poor  man,"  I  said,  "  how  unhappy  that  must  make  you !" 
(As  though  nothing  else  were  possible.)  She  did  not  an- 
swer, and  her  face  told  of  no  emotion  within.  Thinking 
it  better  to  change  the  subject,  I  said,  ''  This  house  is  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  others  in  the  neighborhood ;  I  suppose  you 
own  it?"  ''Yes."  When  I  told  her  of  the  meeting,  she 
said  if  she  were  willing  to  go,  he  would  not  let  her ;  she  did 
not  think  much  about  anything  in  this  world.  I  said, 
*'  Perhaps  you  would  feel  happier  and  more  cheerful  if  you 
would  go  more  among  people."  ''I  don't  know  about 
that ;  I  am  satisfied."  I  knew  it  was  not  well  to  say  much 
in  such  a  case  in  the  presence  of  a  third  person.  I  therefore 
gave  her  a  tract,  and  rose  as  though  to  go.  My  friend  passed 
out ;  I  held  back  that  I  might  be  alone  with  her.  I  took 
her  hand  in  a  kind,  affectionate  manner,  saying,  ''You  will 
not  be  angry  with  me,  my  dear  friend,  for  coming  to  your 
house?  I  knew  you  did  not  go  out,  as  most  of  the  neigh- 
bors do,  and  I  thought  you  had  not  friends  about  here,  and 
I  would  make  you  feel  you  had  one  in  myself.  Our  mothers' 
meeting,  of  which  I  told  you,  was  designed  for  the  purpose 

29* 


342 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


of  bringing  us  all  together  as  mothers."  She  smiled  some- 
what kindly  and  said,  "  No,  1  have  few  friends."  *'  Have 
you  a  mother?'"'  "  No,  they  are  all  dead."  "  Would  your 
mother,  were  she  here,  keep  you  from  the  meeting,  or  be 
sorry  or  glad  to  see  me  here  ?' '  (This  was  an  indirect  way 
of  finding  out  whether  she  had  a  Christia?i  mother.)  Her 
reply  was  decided,  kind,  and  tender.  ''  No,  she  would  have 
been  glad  to  see  you.  She  was  good,  and  tried  to  make  us 
so ;  prayed  for  us  and  for  father,  but  he  was  like  me,  and 
never  would  listen  to  her."  "  Where  did  your  mother  go 
to  church?"  "  She  was  a  Methodist."  *'I  suppose  you 
sometimes  long  for  her,  and  want  her  advice  in  your  daily 
cares?"  "Ah,  indeed  I  do;  but  she  saw  trouble  enough, 
poor  mother,  without  knowing  mine."  ''She  taught  you 
to  pray  when  you  were  a  child  and  to  put  your  trust  in  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  told  you  of  his  love  for  you  and  of 
the  rest  she  has  found,  the  promised  rest  of  the  Chris- 
tian?" "  Oh,  yes,  madam,  I  know  that,  I  suppose,  as  well 
as  you  do ;  but  knowing  it  does  me  no  good,  I  cannot  feel 
it.  I  do  sometimes  open  that  old  Bible,  and  wonder  how 
my  mother  took  so  much  pleasure  in  it."  "And  yet,  my 
dear  friend,  that  is  the  lamp  in  our  hands,  and  the  only 
one  given  us  to  light  us  to  that  world  where  your  mother 
is,  and  where  those  children  are  with  whom  you  parted." 
She  replied,  "  You  see  it,  /do  not;  is  that  my  fault?" 
''  My  friend,  do  you  want  to  see  as  I  do, — do  you  feel  far 
from  God  and  true  happiness,  and  desire  to  come  to  Him?" 
**  No,  I  do  not  think  I  feel  anything."  '*  You  read  in  the 
Bible  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners?" 
"Yes,  1  know  all  that, — then  why  am  I  not  saved?  that  is 
what  my  husband  says.  If  such  a  one  died  for  sin,  then  that 
is  enough  ;  //^_ wants  no  preachers."  "  The  same  book  says, 
*  U  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive ;' 
it  is  the  will  of  God  that  we  confess  ourselves  sinners,  and 
come  to  Him  seeking  and  asking  for  his  love  and  mercy, 


THEIR   SAYIXGS  AXD   DOINGS. 


343 


humbling  ourselves  before  Him.  God  is  tender,  loving, 
pitiful,  but  He  wants  to  see  us  realize  our  entire  dependence 
upon  Him."  "Well,  madam,  tell  me  what  your  idea  is 
of  hell, — do  you  believe  God  made  me,  a  helpless  creature, 
to  put  me  into  eternal  torment  for  what  is  born  in  the  flesh 
He  has  made?  Do  you  believe  He  is  good  who  will  hurl 
millions  into  a  bottomless  pit?"  ''You  want  to  know 
whether  God  has  a  big  furnace  somewhere,  unseen,  where 
he  intends  to  put  his  creatures  and  literally  roast  them?" 
"Yes;  do  you  believe  that?"  "No,  I  do  not.  But,  my 
friend,  for  a  moment  let  your  mind  rest  upon  a  drunkard, 
. — you  may  know  one, — one  who  neglects  and  abuses  his 
family,  lies  about  like  a  beast,  has  few  or  no  friends,  has 
lost  every  vestige  of  manhood.  What  do  you  think, — is  that 
man  happy  or  miserable?"  "Oh,  I  know  he  must  be 
wretched!"  "Then  look  at  those  poor  abandoned  girls 
of  shame,  for  whom  no  door  of  home  opens,  from  whom 
all  turn  away;  are  they  happy?"  "No,  I  think  not." 
"Why  are  they  unhappy?  It  is  because  they  have  turned 
away  from  the  face  of  their  heavenly  Father, — turned  from 
love  and  joy  and  peace,  and  willfully  followed  evil.  God 
did  not  want  them  to  stray.  Do  you  think  that  a  God  who 
is  so  filled  with  beauty  as  to  have  planned  and  created  all 
the  lovely  flowers  we  see  around  us,  could  such  a  Creator 
look  with  pleasure  upon  sin  in  the  form  of  a  loathsome 
drunkard?  No,  dear  friend,  it  is  the  sinner's  fault,  not 
God's,  and  the  deeper  they  go  into  sin  the  more  wretched 
they  become,  and  that  is  present  hell.  The  future  hell  is 
a  continuation  and  increase  of  misery ;  the  unavoidable 
result  of  sin.  And  it  is  like  a  dark  and  bottomless  pit,  into 
which  man  throws  himself  \n\\^\\  he  willfully  and  voluntarily 
departs  from  God  and  the  light  of  God's  revealed  will,  as 
given  to  us  in  the  Bible."  "  Well,"  she  said,  "how  do  we 
get  to  the  Creator  after  we  have  gone  from  Him?  I  cannot 
see  it."      I  laid  my  hand  on  hers,  saying,  "Our  Saviour's 


344 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH 


words  are,  '  All  things  whatsoever  ye  ask  in  prayer  believing, 
ye  shall  receive.'  Prayer  shall  bring  you  into  God's /r^j- 
ence  ;  just  talking  with  Him,  confessing  how  dark  everything 
is  to  you,  beseeching  Him  for  the  sake  of  his  Son  to  hear 
you."  Looking  at  her  earnestly,  I  said,  ''Do  you  ever 
pray?"  *'I  have  a  few  times  in  my  life."  I  thought  her 
countenance  had  softened  during  our  conversation.  ''  Will 
you  not  kneel  down  with  me,  my  friend,  and  let  us  ask 
God  together  to  bless  us,  and  give  us  both  more  heavenly 
wisdom?  I  need  it  all  the  time."  She  moved  off  from  me, 
saying,  "No,  no!  not  now;  I  would  be  committing  a 
worse  sin  to  kneel  with  you,  for  my  heart  is  cold  and 
dead."  "I  know  it,  dear  friend,  but  listen  to  a  few  more 
gracious  words  from  onr  kind  Father:  'A  new  heart  will  I 
give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  into  you,  and  I  will 
take  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,'  "  etc.  She  neither 
spoke  nor  moved,  standing  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
floor.  I  waited  in  silence,  feeling  a  strange  awe,  as  though 
God  were  there. 

At  last,  without  lifting  her  eyes,  she  said,  in  a  clear,  strong 
voice,  "These  are  strange  words;  I  cannot  pray,  you  may 
pray,  I  will  stand  and  listen."  "Oh,  no,  my  friend,  I 
would  not  like  to  do  that,  you  must  unbend  to  God ;  it  is 
resisting  God's  Spirit.  I  will  wait ;  promise  me  you  will 
read  some  passages  I  mark  in  this  Bible  of  your  mother's." 
"I  will  do  that."  "And  I  would  like  to  think  that  you 
will  pray."  "  Perhaps  I  might."  "  Some  time  I  hope  to 
see  your  husband.  I  shall  be  in  this  neighborhood  for 
awhile ;  he  would  not  object  to  having  a  conversation  with 
me  ?"  "  No,  I  think  not ;  but  he  would  not  let  a  minister. 
I  never  say  anything  to  him,  he  only  talks  worse  and  worse, 
so  I  let  him  alone."  The  children  of  these  people  had 
the  most  malicious,  hardened  faces  I  have  ever  seen  in 
childhood  ;  one  boy,  about  eleven  years,  I  found,  on  in- 
quiry, was  the  terror  of  all  the  boys  in  the  neighborhood. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


345 


and  the  worst  boy  to  be  found.  I  asked  him  "  if  he  would 
like  to  go  to  Sunday-school  ?"  he  replied  with  a  growl,  "No, 
I  wouldn't!"  and  a  few  more  questions  I  put  to  him,  to 
which  he  gave  no  answer  whatever. 

''Shall  I  come  again  ?"  I  said  to  the  woman  when  leaving. 
She  smiled,  saying,  "Oh,  yes,  if  you  would  like  to."  I 
joined  my  friend,  who  had  called  at  the  house  of  a  woman 
who  she  thought  would  come  to  the  meeting. 

The  next  visit  was  at  the  house  of  one  of  those  thrifty, 
industrious,  cheerful  families,  we  so  frequently  meet  with 
among  the  working  people,  who  illustrate  what  carefulness 
and  perseverance  will  accomplish,  and  how  entirely  un- 
necessary is  the  greater  part  of  the  destitution  and  misery 
of  the  masses,  could  they  be  lifted  up,  trained,  and  taught. 
The  husband  was  a  laborer.  They  had  two  quite  large 
boys  who,  of  course,  helped.  They  owned  the  house  in 
which  they  lived,  and  the  lot  adjoining,  with  a  good  garden 
tastefully  arranged. 

Inside  the  house  the  same  kind  of  order  and  neatness  pre- 
vailed. The  dresser  was  covered  with  a  white  linen  cloth, 
the  hearth  clean  and  red,  the  stove  bright  and  l^lack.  Com- 
paring it  with  the  house  of  a  mechanic  who  lived  opposite 
in  an  almost  comfortless  condition,  although  with  half  as 
much  again  to  live  upon,  I  realized  how  much  fearful 
waste  and  lack  of  management  there  is  in  the  world, 
and  how  very  much  must  depend  upon  the  wife.  I  think 
the  only  way  to  effect  any  radical  change,  is  for  the  Church 
to  teach  the  rising  generation  of  daughters,  industry  and 
thrift. 

This  laborer's  wife  told  me  that  by  making  pants  and 
vests,  she  had  clothed  herself  and  children.  I  asked  her 
who  kept  the  garden  in  order,  as  her  husband  went  early  to 
work.  She  replied,  "  We  do  it  together  ;  he  gets  up  very 
early,  and  works  a  good  while  before  he  calls  me  ;  and  then 
in  the  evening  we  work  again  ;  sometimes  when  it  is  moon- 


346  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

light,  until  ten  o'clock.  My  husband  never  goes  from  home, 
we  are  always  together."  "You  take  care  that  no  place 
shall  look  quite  so  nicely  to  him  as  his  own  home?"  "Yes, 
indeed  ;  and  I  don't  wonder  some  men  are  never  home  ;  he 
says  he  wouldn't  be,  if  he  had  such  a  place  to  come  to  as 
some  of  his  friends  have."  "  And  what  about  the  most 
important  of  all  things,  where  does  he  go  to  church?  I 
see  you  go,  and  you  told  me  the  boys  went  to  Sunday- 
school.  I  am  interested  in  the  soul  of  this  good  husband. " 
"  Indeed,  I  would  be  so  thankful  to  see  him  take  of  that ;  I 
often  think  of  it,  and  feel  how  we  have  neglected  our  duty. 
Would  you  like  to  talk  to  him?"  "Of  course;  I  should 
like  it  above  all  things."  To  know  the  ground  upon  which 
I  was  stepping,  I  asked  her  some  things  relative  to  him. 
Whether  he  objected  to  her  going  to  church, — if  he  had 
been  trained  religiously  when  young, — whether  he  ever 
prayed, — if  he  liked  the  pastor.  I  gathered  that  he  re- 
spected religion,  sometimes  went  to  church,  was  glad  to  see 
Christian  people  at  his  house,  but  was  too  busy  to  think 
about  his  salvation.  Whilst  I  was  there  he  came  home,  and 
went  into  the  garden,  before  coming  into  the  house.  I 
said,  "May  I  go  out  to  him?"  she  replied,  "Yes,"  and 
went  to  the  door  with  me  and  called  him.  He  looked  up, 
and  came  toward  us ;  he  was  an  uncommonly  handsome 
man.  When  told  who  I  was,  he  shook  hands  cordially. 
I  commenced  right  away  to  speak  in  admiration  of  his 
garden,  for  I  thought  it  was  certainly  one  of  his  favorite 
children.  We  walked  out  under  the  vine ;  I  asked  what 
kind  of  grapes  they  were, — what  kind  of  fruit-trees, — how 
old  they  were, — wondered  how  it  were  possible  for  him  to 
accomplish  so  much.  And  in  a  very  few  moments  we 
were  quite  good  friends,  and  the  way  opened  for  a  higher 
range  of  thought  and  conversation.  First,  I  told  him  of 
our  meeting  which  I  had  asked  his  wife  to  join  ;  hoped  it 
would  not  interfere  with  his  comforts  for  her  to  attend. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


347 


*'I  would  be  glad  for  her  to  go,  she  works  too  hard." 
"How  do  you  like  the  little  church  in  the  Avenue?" 
*'  Very  well,  as  much  as  I  know  about  it ;  it  is  a  beautiful 
building,  and  I  like  the  minister,  but  somehow  I  think  a 
man  can  be  just  as  good  without  going  to  church."  '^Per- 
haps you  are  much  better  than  some  who  go  constantly  to 
church,  but  you  may  have  never  been  so  sorely  tempted,  or 
if  you  have  been  blessed  in  some  respects  in  which  they 
have  not,  would  it  not  be  kind,  to  endeavor  to  help  them  ? 
The  Church  needs  good,  moral  men.  You  believe  God 
blesses  and  approves  of  such  a  body  as  the  Church,  and  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  established  it?"  "Yes,  I  do ;  I  be- 
lieve all  that."  "Then  don't  you  think  it  better,  nay, 
right,  for  all  men  to  stand  by  it,  and  lend  their  aid  to  up- 
hold truth,  and  try  and  spread  the  knowledge  and  love 
of  God  over  the  world  ?  You  know  that  in  the  army, 
numbers  combined  with  discipline  subdue  the  foe."  "That 
is  true;  I  don't  say  I  do  right,  yet  the  lives  of  other  men 
who  go  to  church,  both  high  and  low,  have  kept  me  from 
feeling  much  interest."  "Exactly  so;  but  why  stand  off 
and  let  a  good  thing  suffer,  when  you  could,  by  your  ex- 
ample, counteract  some  of  the  evil?  You  might  teach 
some  poor,  weak,  worthless  fellow  how  to  make  a  good 
home.  But  above  all,  God  wills  us  to  thus  assemble  to- 
gether. Do  you  pray?"  "Well,  no,  not  much."  "  Who 
has  given  you  the  many  blessings  you  enjoy, — your  good, 
industrious  wife, — a  mind  inclined  to  good, — a  home  of 
comfort?"  "  Of  course,  I  owe  all  things  to  the  Creator." 
"You  acknowledge  this  to  me,  and  yet  you  never  do  to 
Him,  or  at  least,  you  are  not  willing  to  do  anything  that 
would  magnify  his  name.  God  asks  your  heart  and  service  ; 
He  asks  you  to  give  a  portion  of  your  life  to  this  work ; 
that  is,  to  do  good  to  those  for  whom  Christ  died.  In  the 
parish  to  which  I  belong,  a  lady  teaches  a  class  of  some 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  I  have  a  smaller  one.     If 


348  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

I  were  here  I  would  do  this  work,  and  ask  you  to  join  the 
class."  ''And  I  should  do  it,"  he  respectfully  answered. 
How  many  are  there  like  this  man,  only  waiting  the  offer 
of  teaching?  Stalks  of  overripe  grain  standing  in  the 
fields.  Whose  hand  shall  gather  them  together  for  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  ?  Shall  all  this  grain  perish  because 
it  is  not  gathered  in  ?  The  husbandman  does  not  leave 
his  grain  in  the  field  until  the  cold  breath  of  autumn 
comes,  but  gathers  it  rapidly  in  due  season,  because  the 
time  for  saving  it  is  short ;  he  will  forego  ease  and  endure 
fatigue  to  have  it  garnered.  Shall  we  let  those  who  thus 
welcome  us  perish,  for  want  of  that  knowledge  which  has 
been  intrusted  to  us  to  impart  to  them?  We  now  find  in 
most  persons,  scarcely  any  prejudices  to  overcome.  There 
is  work  in  the  vineyard  of  our  Lord  for  every  Christian, 
but  these  opportunities  are  passing  away,  the  time  for  them 
cannot  continue.  "  Therefore,  whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth 
to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might,  for  there  is  no  work,  nor 
device,  nor  knowledge,  nor  wisdom  in  the  grave  whither 
thou  goest." 

Our  meeting  was  commenced  on  the  first  Friday  in 
March.  Ten  were  present  that  night.  There  being  no 
Sunday-school  building  attached  to  the  church,  we  obtained 
the  use  of  the  public  school-room,  which  Avas  small,  uncom- 
fortable, and  but  dimly  lighted.  The  women  were  almost 
strangers  to  me.  I  gave  them,  that  night,  the  origin  and 
design  of  mothers'  meetings,  with  a  short  account  of  our 
own ;  its  progress,  how  God  blessed  it  to  the  salvation  of 
many  wives,  and  through  them,  their  husbands  and  house- 
holds. I  read  to  them  the  account  of  Moses  meeting  his 
brother-in-law,  during  the  journey  in  the  wilderness,  when 
Moses  asked  him  to  join  them ;  making  a  point  of  the  text, 
"  Come  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee  good  ;"  apply- 
ing it  to  our  desire  for  them,  and  their  ability  to  help  by 
their  experience,  just  as  Hobab  did.     They  were  all  inter- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


349 


ested,  and  as  they  bade  good  night,  one  woman  pressed 
my  hand,  saying,  "  Could  you  come  talk  with  me  at  my 
house?"  Another  old  woman  put  her  hand  on  my  shoul- 
der and  said,  *'I  am  glad  you  brought  me  here  to-night." 
Two  others  stopped  on  the  porch ;  one  turned  to  me, 
saying,  "The  evening  was  too  short."  Another,  *'I  will 
not  forget  this  night;"  the  latter  is  now  a  communicant  of 
the  church.  You  know  that  I  have  little  time  or  strength, 
yet  I  now  see  God's  great  goodness  in  allowing  me  to  use 
all  of  my  own  home  experience  in  imparting  happiness  to 
my  less-favored  sisters,  and  thus,  in  a  very  feeble  way,  to 
aid  in  hastening  the  coming  of  our  dear  Lord  and  Saviour. 


''THE   EPISTLE    OF   CHRIST." 

St.  Paul  says  that  "the  Epistle  of  Christ  is  written,  not 
with  ink,  but  with  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God ;  not  in 
stone,  but  in  the  fleshly  tables  of  the  heart;"  therefore  it 
is  designed  to  be  a  living,  loving,  self-explanatory  Epistle, 
"  known  and  read  of  all  men."  The  saving  truths  revealed 
in  the  apostolic  Epistles  need  illustrations  of  Christian  life 
and  also  acts  of  love  to  give  them  full  efficacy,  especially 
with  the  illiterate,  for  as  St.  Peter  says,  "the  unlearned 
and  the  ignorant"  are  prone  to  "wrest  them  to  their  own 
destruction." 

The  Ten  Commandments,  although  written  by  the  Lord, 
emitted  no  moral  or  spiritual  power,  and  the  only  writing 
by  Him,  when  He  was  upon  this  earth,  convicted,  but  failed 
to  convert  those  who  sought  Him  ;  whilst  the  continuous 
Epistle  in  the  human  heart,  written  by  the  ascended 
Saviour,  gives  out  a  power  that  is  the  special  channel  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     The  following  sketch  will  serve  to  illustrate 

30 


350 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


the  efficacy  of  such  epistles,  as  aids  in  imparting  a  missionary 
spirit  to  the  young,  and  in  benefiting  the  more  mature  by 
giving  a  reality  to  spiritual  things. 

The  increasing  desire  manifested  throughout  the  Church 
to  use  this  divinely  accredited  human  agency  more  freely 
than  hitherto,  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  of  the  times, 
for  through  smiles,  little  ones  can  easily  recognize  the 
blessing  bequeathed  to  them  by  their  Saviour,  and  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  can  thus  be  communicated  to  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  toil  in  their  cottages  as  well  as  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord.  W. 

My  dear  Sir, — During  the  past  month  my  time  has 
been  very  fully  occupied  in  making  myself  acquainted  with 
the  new-comers  in  the  mills, — visiting  their  families  and 
inviting  them  to  join  our  Bible-class.  Besides  this,  there 
have  been  several  cases  of  sickness,  demanding  special  at- 
tention. One  of  our  number,  whom  I  held  it  a  privilege 
and  pleasure  to  visit  during  his  long  and  painful  illness,  is 
now  beyond  the  reach  of  suffering,  and  needs  the  sympathy 

of  Christian  friends  no  longer, — I  mean  our  friend  J , 

who  was  confined  to  his  bed  so  long  from  the  effects  of 
paralysis.  I  told  you  of  his  cheerful  submission  to  the  will 
of  God  in  all  things,  and  how  the  severe  discipline  which 
he  has  been  called  upon  to  undergo  seemed  but  to  increase 
his  faith  and  strengthen  his  desire  to  depart  and  be  with 
his  Saviour.  A  few  days  before  his  death  our  pastor  ad- 
ministered the  holy  communion  to  him,  and  soon  after  I 
visited  him  for  the  last  time.  I  found  him  unable  to  speak 
and  failing  rapidly,  yet  conscious  of  all  that  passed  around 
him.  As  I  approached  his  bedside,  he  held  out  his  hand, 
with  a  smile  of  welcome,  and  tried  in  vain  to  tell  me  some- 
thing,— some  last  word  of  peace  and  love,  which  the  trem- 
bling lips  could  not  express.  After  I  had  spoken  a  few 
words  to  him,  he  pointed  to  the  Bible  which  lay  beside  him 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  351 

as  a  sign  that  I  should  read  to  him,  as  usual.  And  then 
we  joined  together  for  the  last  time  in  prayer  to  our 
heavenly  Father,  praising  Him  for  the  sweet  promises  of 
the  gospel,  and  for  the  hope  which  is  ours  in  Christ  Jesus. 
I  found  it  very  hard  to  leave  his  bedside,  for  my  heart  told 
me  that  another  day  he  would  not  be  there  to  greet  us. 
And  even  now  I  can  scarcely  realize  that  he  has  left  us ; 
but  when  I  recall  the  many  instances  of  childlike  faith 
which  he  has  shown,  I  rejoice  that  he  has  entered  into  his 
rest.  I  would  not  for  a  great  deal  give  up  the  hallowed 
recollections  of  hours  passed  in  that  quiet  chamber,  where 
I  learned  sweet  lessons  of  the  blessed  truth  which  his  life 
illustrated,  that  Christ  is  all  in  all  to  his  people.  Well  may 
we,  in  the  language  of  our  Church,  say,  "We  bless  Thy 
holy  name  for  all  Thy  servants  departed  this  life  in  Thy 
faith  and  fear,  beseeching  Thee  to  give  us  grace  so  to  follow 
their  good  examples,  that  with  them  we  may  be  partakers 
of  Thy  heavenly  kingdom." 

A  few  weeks  since,  I  received  a  letter  from  the  pastor  of 
a  mission  church  in  the  West,  acknowledging  the  receipt 
of  our  children's  offering  towards  the  erection  of  the  church. 
He  writes,  "Tell  them  we  shall  appreciate  the  gift  the  more 
as  coming  from  children  who  have  really  denied  themselves 
and  worked  as  they  have  for  Christ's  sake.  I  am  glad  to 
learn  that  they  have  joined  their  prayers  with  their  offerings, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  that  God  will  hear  and  bless  them, 
both  to  their  good  and  our  own.  May  they  continue  to  do 
so  !"  And  further,  he  says,  "  Our  great  need  is  an  earnest, 
pious,  lay  element,  to  mould  and  set  an  example  to  those 
who  are  won  to  the  Church,  but  have  only  the  general 
teaching  of  the  pastor  to  guide  them.  Oh,  if  we  had  this 
help  in  each  of  the  missions  of  the  West,  how  much  might 
be  done  ! — three  times  as  much,  I  think,  as  a  clergyman  can 
do  alone. ' '  I  read  this  letter  to  the  children  and  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Bible-class,  and  urged  them  to  be  more  earnest 


352  IVOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

in  their  prayers  and  efforts  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  The  chil- 
dren were  delighted  that  "a  real  missionary''  should  write 
to  them,  and  are  trying  harder  than  ever  to  fill  the  mission- 
ary-box. They  want  to  add  their  mite  to  our  contribution 
in  the  way  of  clothing,  etc.,  for  the  mission  house,  and  so 
the  boys  have  agreed  to  raise  the  money  to  purchase  material 
for  the  little  girls  to  sew.  What  a  wise  and  blessed  thing 
it  has  proved  to  enlist  the  sympathies  and  co-operation  of 
the  children  in  the  great  missionary  work  of  the  Church  ! 
If  all  of  us  who  bear  the  mark  of  Christ  upon  our  forehead, 
men,  women,  and  children,  would  do  our  part  in  the  work 
which  our  Lord  has  committed  to  his  Church,  what  might 
we  not  hope  for?  How  many  of  us  who  read  in  The 
Spirit  of  Missions  of  "the  fields  white  unto  the  harvest," 
and  who  pray  daily  "Thy  kingdom  come,"  are  making  any 
efforts  to  hasten  its  coming  by  pointing  souls  to  Christ,  or 
helping  others  to  do  so?  I  was  reading  an  article  to-day, 
headed  "Our  Roman  Catholic  Brethren,"  in  which  the 
writer  compared  their  zeal  and  missionary  enterprise  with 
our  slowness  and  indifference.  "When  we  consider  what 
has  been  effected  in  that  church  by  system  and  by  lay  co- 
operation, making  every  man,  woman,  and  child  feel  that 
they  had  their  part  to  do  in  fiirthering  the  cause,  why  are 
we  Protestants  so  slow  in  adopting  like  measures?  Surely, 
if  success  has  crowned  their  labors,  can  we  doubt  that  God's 
blessing  would  rest  upon  us  if  we  employed  the  same  zeal 
and  devotion  in  spreading  the  gospel  of  Christ  and  build- 
ing up  his  Church  upon  earth?" 

Yesterday,  I  gave  the  little  girls  their  work  for  the  mis- 
sionary-box, and  one  of  them  said,  on  receiving  her  piece, 
"  Isn't  it  nice  !"  Yes,  I  answered,  it  is  very  nice,  and  I  shall 
hope  to  have  it  very  neatly  sewed.  "Oh,  I  didn't  mean //z^/," 
said  she  ;  "  I  meant,  isn't  it  nice  that  we  can  all  do  something 
for  the  missionaries!"  Another  child  brought  her  piece 
of  work  to  me,  neatly  folded  up  and  ready  for  the  box. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


353 


On  opening  it  to  examine  the  sewing,  I  found  a  small 
package  wrapped  up  inside.  "  That,''  said  my  little  friend, 
*'  is  a  piece  of  soap,  which  I  bought  with  some  money 
which  a  gentleman  gave  me  to  buy  candy,  but  I  thought 
I  would  rather  give  it  to  one  of  the  missionaries.  Wouldn't 
you  like  to  be  there  when  he  opens  my  work  and  this  falls 
out  ?  I  guess  that  he  will  wonder  who  put  it  there  !"  Yes, 
indeed ;  he  may  not  know  that  the  little  hands  which 
hid  that  package  so  deftly  among  the  folds  of  the  cloth, 
"  that  it  might  be  a  surprise  to  him,"  were  those  of  one  of 
God's  humblest, — one  who  is  just  beginning  to  learn  the 
meaning  of  those  sweet  words  of  Jesus,  "  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive." 

I  find  it  very  hard  to  persuade  some  of  the  members  of 
the  Bible-class  to  invite  others  to  attend.  Many  who  come 
regularly  themselves,  rarely  bring  a  companion  with  them. 
The  excuses  given  are  various:  "  It  would  do  no  good." 
''  I  thought  about  it,  but  didn't  exactly  like  to."  ''I  felt 
that  you  were  the  best  one  to  invite  them,"  etc.  All  of 
which  indicates  selfishness  and  a  hesitancy  to  speak  of  Him 
whom  we  have  confessed.    But  there  are  others  who  seldom 

come  alone,  and  one  of  these  is  S .    ''  I  never  feel  quite 

right,"  said  he,  '^  to  go  to  the  chapel  without  asking  some 
one  to  come  with  me,  and  I  almost  always  find  them  willing  ; 
there  are  not  many  who  will  say  '  no '  to  you  when  you 
have  taken  the  trouble  to  invite  them."  One  evening  he 
came  quite  late  to  the  class,  which  was  something  unusual 
for  him  to  do ;  but  I  noticed  that  he  brought  a  friend  with 
him,  and  from  the  expression  of  his  face,  I  judged  that 
there  had  been  some  good  reason  for  absence.  On  our  way 
home  he  said  to  me,  ''  I  suppose  that  you  thought  I  was  not 
coming  to-night,  but  I  was  determined  to  do  all  I  could  to 

bring  A .     He  told  me  at  first  that  he  would  not  come, 

but  I  told  him  that  I  knew  he  would  like  it ;  then  he  made 
some  excuse  about  his  old  clothes,  and  I  told  him  they  were 

30* 


354 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 


as  good  as  mine,  and  I'd  sooner  wear  my  old  coat  than  stay 
away.  At  last  he  said  that  he  could  not  get  through  his 
work  in  time.  Well,  said  I,  if  that  is  all  the  trouble,  we'll 
get  there  yet.  So  I  went  back  to  the  house  with  him,  and 
together  vio.  soon  finished  all  that  was  to  be  done.  Oh," 
added  he,  "  I  think  that  a  great  many  stay  away  just  because 
they  feel  a  little  strange  and  shy,  and  I  know  it  was  the  case 

with  myself  for  a  long  time."     S 's  friend  has  attended 

quite  regularly  since  then,  and  if,  by  God's  grace,  the  Bible- 
class  shall  be  made  the  means  of  awakening  in  his  heart  an 
interest  in  heavenly  things,  will  it  not  be  a  cause  of  thank- 
fulness to  S that  he  persevered  in  saying,  "  Come  and 

let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord  "  ? 

Since  writing  this,  I  have  had  the  comfort  of  witnessing 

S 's  public  confession  of  faith  in  Christ.    And  now  that 

he  is  numbered  among  the  believers,  I  recall  my  conversa- 
tions with  him  on  the  subject  of  personal  religion.  At  first 
nothing  that  I  could  say  seemed  to  produce  any  effect,  for 
all  that  I  could  elicit  from  him  in  answer  to  the  most  serious 
questions,  would  be  a  smile,  and  ''You  are  right,"  or 
''That's  so."  He  would  never  offer  the  least  objection  to 
what  I  might  say  in  regard  to  the  necessity  of  a  change  of 
heart,  the  all-sufficient  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  or  the 
danger  of  putting  off  the  day  of  our  salvation.  But  often, 
when  pleading  earnestly  with  him  on  these  subjects,  I  have 
seen  him  watching  me  with  an  expression  of  wonder  and 
interest,  such  as  a  child  wears  when  listening  to  some  mar- 
velous story, — then  the  smile  and  nod  of  assent,  and  this 
was  all  that  I  could  draw  from  him.  Do  you  wonder  that 
I  sometimes  felt  it  was  in  vain  to  try  to  interest  him  in 
the  great  question  of  his  salvation  ?  I  ought  to  say,  rather, 
do  you  wonder  that  I  felt  discouraged  in  my  feeble  efforts 
to  do  him  good  when  I  forgot  for  the  moment  that  the  work 
is  not  our  own,  but  "  God  giveth  the  increase"  ? 

However,  I  learned    afterwards  that,  though  little  was 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


355 


said,  yet  the  Word  of  God  was  not  without  effect  in  his  case, 
for  I  found  from  the  testimony  of  others,  as  well  as  my  own 
observation,  that  a  great  change  was  being  wrought  in  him, 
and  what  I  had  attributed  in  him  to  indifference  and  want 
of  any  deep  feeling,  was  the  result  of  natural  shyness,  and 
a  hesitancy  to  speak  of  what  was  most  in  his  thoughts  and 
the  subject  of  his  earnest  prayers.     I  have  written  thus  fully 

about  S because  the  question  is  often  asked  me,  "  Do 

you  never  meet  with  cases  where  you  seem  to  make  no  im- 
pression? and  do  you  never  feel  disheartened?"  If  one 
who  is  conscious  that  she  has  a  work  to  do  for  Christ,  yet 
too  easily  tempted  to  turn  aside  and  say  it  is  of  no  use, 
should  chance  to  read  this  letter,  let  me  bid  her  take  cour- 
age ;  for  the  same  God  who  bade  us  sow  beside  all  waters, 
has  likewise  promised  the  increase. 

I  mentioned  in  my  last  letter  the  three  children  of  Mrs. 

E ,  whose  husband  keeps  a  drinking-saloon.      A  few 

days  since  I  called  upon  her  to  renew  my  invitation  to  the 
Bible-class.  I  entered  the  house  cautiously,  as  the  voices 
of  those  in  the  bar-room  had  already  reached  my  ears,  and 
I  did  not  wish  to  be  seen  by  them.  But  with  all  my  caution, 
her  husband  and  two  or  three  of  his  most  regular  customers, 
who  were  bending  over  the  billiard-table,  noticed  me  as  I 
passed  by  their  room.  After  some  conversation  with  Mrs. 
E about  the  children,  I  said,  "Shall  we  see  you  to- 
morrow at  the  chapel  ?"  "  No,  indeed,"  said  she  ;  "  Sun- 
day is  our  busiest  day,  and  I  don't  like  to  leave  the  house." 
"  How  I  wish  that  we  could  induce  your  husband  to  attend 
the  evening  service  !"  I  replied;  "  we  shall  have  such  an 
interesting  lecture,  and  there  will  be  good  music,  too." 
"  It  will  take  more  than  that  to  bring  him,"  she  answered ; 
*'but  I'll  tell  him  what  you  say."  I  left  her  with  very 
little,  if  any  hope,  that  this  invitation  would  be  heeded  ; 
but  last  evening,  when  about  to  enter  the  chapel,  one  of 
the  young  men  who  were  standing  outside  said  to  me,  '^  You 


356  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

have  some  attendants  to-night  who,  I  think,  are  making 
their  first  visit  to  a  church  since  they  came  to  this  country." 

On  inquiry  I  found  it  to  be  E and  some  of  his  friends. 

I  stopped  to  speak  to  them  and  bade  them  welcome,  and 
after  service  urged  them  to  come  again.       ''Well,"  said 

E ,  "  I  never  supposed  that  I  should  pass  a  Sunday 

evening  this  way ;  but  my  wife  told  me  about  your  visit 
and  what  you  said,  and  then  the  children  would  not  be 
satisfied  till  I  promised  to  go  and  to  take  them  wnth  me.  It 
is  the  first  time,"  added  he,  "  that  I  have  been  to  church 
for  eight  years  and  more ;  and  the  children  had  to  find  all 
the  places  in  the  Prayer-Book  for  me." 

One  of  the  women  who  has  attended  the  classes  regularly 
for  some  time  past  said  to  me,  yesterday,  **'I  was  so  glad 
to  hear  you  explain  those  words  in  the  Creed,  'The  Holy 
Catholic  Church.'  I  never  could  make  up  my  mind  to 
say  them,  and  I  did  not  like  to  think  that  my  children  used 
them  in  the  Sunday-school.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  have  ex- 
plained away  almost  everything  which  I  have  objected  to  in 
the  Episcopal  Church.  I  told  my  husband,"  continued  she, 
"that  I  thought  the  children  in  the  Sunday-schools  often 
know  more  about  the  Prayer-Book  than  their  fathers  and 
mothers  do,  because  so  many  of  us  have  not  been  brought 
up  in  the  Church,  and  it  seems  simple  to  ask  questions  about 
such  things."  How  I  wish  that  more  time  were  devoted 
in  the  Church  to  the  direct  teaching  and  explaining  of  the 
Catechism  to  the  people  !  It  is  not  that  poor  woman  only 
who  needs  to  be  instructed  in  the  principles  of  the  faith, 
for  I  have  often  been  amazed  at  the  answers  given  by  per- 
sons of  intelligence  and  some  education,  to  questions  which 
involved  but  a  most  superficial  knowledge  of  the  history 
and  doctrines  of  the  Church.  And  for  those  among  us 
who  are  best  taught  in  these  things, — who,  "  meditate  upon 
them" — an  occasional  setting  forth  of  the  doctrines,  sacra- 
ments, and  government  of  the  Church,  showing  that  they 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  357 

are  divinely  appointed,  cannot  fail  to  stir  up  our  hearts  to 
new  love  and  gratitude  that  we  are  members  of  the  apos- 
tolic Church. 

We  forget,  too,  that  there  are  so  many  strangers  in  the 
Church,  who  may  be  drawn  there  by  curiosity  or  by  admi- 
ration of  her  services,  and  who  only  need  instruction  to 
remove  early  prejudices  and  a  certain  distrust  which  exists 
in  so  many  minds,  lest  the  very  services  which  they  have 
learned  to  love,  savor  of  Romanism.  I  long  to  see  our 
men  and  women  able  to  give  an  intelligent  answer  to  the 
question,  "Why  are  you  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church?"  Were  they  more  firmly  rooted  in  the  faith, 
they  would  not  be  so  tossed  about  with  the  many  strange 
doctrines  of  the  day,  nor  their  minds  distressed  by  ques- 
tions and  doubts  which  assail  the  weak  believer.  We 
have  just  completed  our  usual  course  of  study  on  the  Cate- 
chism and  Prayer-Book,  preparatory  to  confirmation,  and 
I  think  we  can  all  say,  with  one  of  our  number  who  has  been 
through  this  course  with  us  three  times,  "  I  find  my  Prayer- 
Book  is  like  my  Bible  in  this  respect, — the  more  I  study  it, 
the  more  I  prize  it,  and  the  more  I  find  to  learn  in  it." 

Last  week  the  Bishop  visited  us  and  confirmed  seven  of 
our  Bible-class,  with  others  of  the  congregation.  The  weeks 
preceding  confirmation  must  always  be  a  season  of  great 
anxiety  to  those  who  are  watching  and  praying  for  the  growth 
of  grace  in  the  hearts  of  their  scholars.  The  fear  of  leaving 
something  unsaid  which  might  have  settled  the  faith  of 
some  doubting  one,  or  of  influencing  another  to  take  this 
solemn  step  without  due  preparation,  would  prove  a  weight 
too  heavy  for  us  to  bear,  had  we  not  the  one  unfailing  re- 
sort for  strength  and  wisdom.  And  when  such  seasons  are 
past,  and  we  consider  the  love  of  God  in  leading  this  or 
that  wandering  soul  to  repentance,  I  always  wonder  at  my 
unbelief,  for  among  those  who  have  confessed  Christ,  there 
were  some  whose  hearts  had  once  seemed  most  hardened  to 


358  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

any  appeal,  and  to  whom,  then,  the  love  of  our  Saviour  meant 
nothing.  Last  evening  we  had  a  communicants'  meeting 
as  usual,  and  as  I  looked  on  those  who  met  with  us  for  the 
first  time  in  preparation  for  that  holy  sacrament,  I  could 
only  say  to  myself,  ''It  is  the  Lord;  He  giveth  the  in- 
crease."     Among    those    present   was  Mrs,    E ,   who 

listened  to  all  I  said  with  an  anxious  expression  on  her  face 
which  betokened  deep  feeling.  On  our  way  home  she 
walked  some  time  in  silence,  then  said,  "I  can't  make  it 
right  that  I  should  come  to  the  Lord's  Supper.''  ''And 
why  so?"  I  asked.  "Oh,  it  is  too  much  for  one  who  has 
led  such  a  careless  life  as  I  have;  I  don't  think  that  you 
realize  how  bad  I  have  been."  I  told  her  that  He  who 
turned  not  away  when  she  came  as  a  penitent  sinner  to 
make  her  public  confession  of  faith  in  Him  as  her  God  and 
Saviour,  would  not  fail  to  bid  her  welcome  now.  "  That's 
what  I  mean,"  she  replied.  "I  believe  that  all  my  sins 
are  forgiven  ;  but  that  I  should  come  to  the  communion 
like  any  one  else,  seems  asking  too  much.  Think  of  it!" 
she  continued  ;  "  only  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago,  I  used 

to  go  with  M to Church,  just  to  make  fun  of 

the  services  ;  and  now  you  say  come,  as  to  a  friend  !  Oh, 
it  is  too  much  to  ask!"  Again,  she  said,  "It  seems  to 
me  that  the  thought  of  my  past  sins  troubles  me  more,  a 
great  deal,  since  I  became  a  Christian,  than  when  I  first  felt 
myself  to  be  a  sinner.  Then  they  made  me  feel  afraid  ; 
but  now  the  thought  that  I  kept  on  sinning  2£/////<?  God  was 
so  kind  to  77ie,  makes  me  feel  worse  than  anything  else." 
Yes,  this  was  the  woman  who  had  once  told  me  that  she 
did  not  mean  to  bother  her  head  about  such  things  just 
then  ;  she  had  enough  to  attend  to. 

Many  of  the  scholars  have  spoken  of  the  help  which  that 
excellent  little  book,  "The  Earnest  Communicant,"  has 
proved  to  them  in  self-examination  and  prayer.  As  one  of 
the  men  said,  "It  is  strange,  but  whoever  wrote  that  book 


THEIR   SAVINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


359 


seemed  to  know  just  the  questions  which  I  wanted  to  ask, 
but  did  not  know  how  to  put  them.'^ 

One  of  the  members  of  our  missionary  association  handed 
me  his  quarterly  subscription  the  other  day,  apologizing 
for  being  a  week  behind  time  in  paying  it.     I  said  to  him, 

"  N ,  I  think  that  you  are  hardly  able  to  give  this,  for 

you  have  been  out  of  work  several  weeks,  and  under  such 
circumstances  it  is  not  required  of  you."  "I  know  that  you 
told  us  so,"  was  his  reply;  "'but  I  don't  believe  in  that 
way  of  giving, — just  when  it  is  easy  to  do  so.  It  seems  too 
much  like  saying,  'Self  first,  and  the  church  afterwards.' 
No,"  added  he,  more  earnestly,  "that  is  not  what  I  find 
in  the  Bible,  nor  what  you  taught  in  the  class  last  Sunday 
about  denying  ourselves  for  others." 

I  find,  on  reading  over  my  letter  to  you,  that  I  have  un- 
consciously repeated  myself,  saying  here  and  there,  "God 
giveth  the  increase."  But  can  we  say  this  too  often  to  our- 
selves or  to  others  who,  like  us,  are  sometimes  faint-hearted  ? 
No;  I  think  that  if  we  realized  more  fully  these  blessed 
words,  we  would  be  more  ready  "to  sow  beside  all  waters," 
nothing  doubting. 


HOW  TO   BEGIN. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter  on  Church  work  and 
from  the  monthly  report  of  a  visitor  will  aid  timid  ones  in 
beginning.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that  our  Lord  incited 
those  only  who  were  willing  to  give  personal  service,  to 
pray  that  more  laborers  might  be  sent  into  the  harvest? 

W. 

"My  dear  Sir, — You  ask  for  a  chapter  of  my  limited 
experience  to  aid  you  in  arousing  shrinking,  self-distrustful 
women  to  labor  in  the  Master's  vineyard.     I  say, — 


360  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

"  Oh,  if  our  Christian  women  would  rise  up  and  go  forth 
in  the  Master's  strength  to  the  great  harvest  of  souls,  what 
wonders  God  would  do  in  our  midst !  It  seems  to  me  that 
the  call  comes  now  for  her  with  the  one  talent,  which  she 
has  hid  away  so  carefully,  as  well  as  for  those  of  the  stronger 
faith  and  richer  mind,  to  whom  are  intrusted  the  five  and 
the  ten  talents  to  use  in  their  Lord's  service.  How  often  I 
hear  the  remark  made  when  speaking  of  some  one  active  in 
Church  service,  '  How  happy  she  must  be,  engaged  in  such 
a  work!'  'It  must  be  such  a  pleasant  thought,  that  you  are 
doing  so  much  good;'  and,  again,  'I  envy  you  the  power 
of  leading  so  many  in  the  right  way' !  These  are  doubtless 
the  expressions  of  an  honest  desire  to  do  something  in  the 
cause  of  Christ, — a  confession  on  the  part  of  many,  of  the 
emptiness  and  unsatisfactory  nature  of  much  that  consti- 
tutes the  everyday  life  of  single  women.  Especially  is  this 
the  case  with  those  who,  while  yet  young,  have  taken  their 
stand  among  the  followers  of  Christ,  and  would  gladly  enter 
on  some  work  of  love,  if  some  one  wiser,  older  than  them- 
selves, would  lead  them  by  the  hand  a  little  way, — I  say, 
/ea^i^  them,  walk  beside  them, — for  simply  to  point  out  the 
path  to  unused  feet  will  have  but  little  effect,  save  to  be- 
wilder and  dishearten.  I  speak  strongly  on  this  point  be- 
cause my  first  attempts  at  Church  work  are  still  fresh  in  my 
memory,  and  well  I  recall  the  feeling  of  doubt  and  hesi- 
tancy with  which  I  stood  before  that  row  of  houses  in  B 

Street,  wishing  for  some  one  to  whom  I  could  say,  '  Would 
you?'  Let  me  say  to  beginners,  that  the  sewing-school  is 
a  place  where  any  one  can  lend  a  helping-hand,  and  many 
who  would  shrink  from  teaching  a  Bible-class,  or  working 
among  the  men  and  women  in  our  mills  or  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  would  yet  feel  no  hesitation  about  laboring 
among  the  children.  And  if  the  work  be  faithfully  per- 
formed, if  the  sewing-school  be  regarded  only  as  the  door 
through  which  we  may  find  our  way  into  the  hearts  and 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


361 


homes  of  these  little  ones,  I  believe  that  it  will  prove  most 
efficient  in  increasing  our  numbers  at  Sunday-school,  in 
adding  to  the  Bible-class,  and  restoring  to  the  fold  of  the 
Good  Shepherd  many  of  his  wandering  sheep. 

''And  when  I  say  if  the  work  be  faithfully  performed,  I 
refer  of  course  to  the  effort  which  each  teacher  should 
make  to  become  well  acquainted  with  the  personal  history 
of  those  under  her  charge.  The  lady  who  teaches  her  little 
children  to  sew,  and  thus  puts  them  in  the  way  of  earning 
an  honest  livelihood,  is  sure  of  a  ready  welcome  from  their 
poor  mother.  She  has  not  only  afforded  pleasure  to  her 
children,  giving  them  something  in  the  week  to  look  for- 
ward to,  but  has  eased  her  mind  for  a  little  while,  at  least. 
She  knows  that  her  children  are  out  of  danger,  well  cared 
for,  well  taught,  and  by  one  on  whom  she  has  no  claim, 
save  that  of  which  she  has  heard  so  little,  'the  love  of 
Christ  which  constraineth  us.'  And  when  the  children 
come  home  and  tell  the  tired  woman  of  all  they  have  en- 
joyed, the  sweet  hymns  they  sang,  the  kind  words  spoken 
by  the  strange  lady,  her  questions  about  their  mother,  how 
she  wrote  down  the  number  of  their  house  and  promised  to 
come  and  see  them, — does  not  that  mother  already  count 
you  di?>  2i  friend?  Then,  if  you  go  with  cheerfulness  and 
sympathy,  bringing  light  into  that  poor  dwelling,  you  may 
speak  to  them  of  Jesus  and  the  power  of  his  love,  and  they 
will  believe  you.  No,  it  is  not  by  alms-giving  alone,  that 
the  lay  members  of  the  apostolic  Church  may  enlarge  the 
borders  of  Zion.  Our  work  is  not  to  buy,  but  to  win  souls 
to  Christ;  and  this  calls  not  only  for  the  fervid  eloquence 
of  the  preacher,  but  the  daily  ministrations  of  love  and 
sympathy,  the  word  in  due  season,  the  prayer  with  the 
afflicted  or  tempted,  all  of  which  lie  within  the  power  of 
any  earnest.  Christian  woman. 

"When  our  beloved  Church,  through  the  zeal  and  faith- 
fulness of  her  clergy  and  laity,  shall  become  truly  a  mother 
Q  31 


362  WOMEN  HELPERS  EV   THE    CHURCH, 

to  her  children,  then  shall  we  see  the  many  Christian  works 
now  started  by  individuals,  all  emanating  from  that  great 
centre.  How  many  benevolent  enterprises  started  by  those 
wKose  hearts  were  honest  in  the  sacred  cause,  and  have 
gone  forth  single-handed,  have  failed  from  lack  of  means, 
or  management,  or  Church  authority  !  In  all  the  great 
educational  movements  of  the  day,  as  well  as  in  our  mis- 
sionary efforts,  the  Church  should  take  the  lead,  and  from 
the  parish  school  to  the  college,  I  would  recognize  the  dis- 
cipline and  teaching  of  our  Mother  Church.  Were  this 
syste??i,  this  doing  of  all  things  in  order,  more  fully  carried  out 
in  all  branches  of  Church  work  (I  speak  now  of  woman's 
work),  there  would  be  a  far  more  equal  division  of  labor. 
Many  who  now  lack  energy  or  ability  to  seek  out  work  for 
themselves,  would  faithfully  and  willingly  perform  the  task 
allotted  them  ;  they  are  ready  to  do  their  shaj-e  in  any 
good  work,  though  they  would  shrink  from  the  responsi- 
bility of  undertaking  that  work  on  their  own  account.  At 
present,  you  too  often  find  that  the  *  Church  work'  in  a 
parish,  in  the  Sunday-school,  visiting  among  the  poor,  at- 
tending to  the  wants  of  the  sick,  reading  to  them,  praying 
with  them,  etc.,  devolves  upon  two  or  three,  and  this  is 
not  my  idea  of  Church  work.  I  do  not  think  that  the 
province  of  one  person  should  interfere  with  that  of  another, 
and  especially  in  a  case  where  religious  instruction  and  in- 
fluence are  needed.  A  man  cannot  speak  of  these  things 
to  everybody,  and  the  friend  who  sought  him  out,  and  first 
showed  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  soul,  is  generally  the 
one  best  qualified  to  lead  him  on.  But  the  field  is  wide 
enough  for  each  and  all  to  find  work  to  do ;  and  if  it  be 
done  in  order,  as  several  parts  of  a  whole,  we  shall  see  the 
effect,  not  only  in  the  increased  numbers  of  those  who 
throng  our  Sunday-schools  asking  to  be  pointed  the  way 
Zionward,  to  be  taught  of  the  doctrines  of  Christ,  but  also 
in  the  strengthening  bond  of  fellowship  which  unites  those 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  363 

who  are  laboring  for  their  common  Lord.  Christian 
women  must  have  some  work  in  which  each  can  perform 
her  part, — inciting  and  *  provoking  one  another  to  good 
works.'  How  earnestly  we  toiled,  when  our  country  called 
for  the  energies  of  her  faithful  children,  in  preparing  cloth- 
ing for  our  soldiers,  and  ministering  to  the  sick  and  dying 
in  our  hospitals  !  And  so  to-day,  if  the  daughters  of  our 
Church  would  use  the  powers  which  God  has  given  them, 
if  they  would  be  the  'right  hand'  to  our  clergy  in  the 
carrying  out  and  furthering  of  their  plans,  we  should  soon 
see  a  new  spirit  in  our  midst.  Yes,  from  the  youngest  of 
us,  who  has  just  renewed  her  baptismal  vows,  to  those  who 
can  bring  to  the  work  the  experience  of  a  long  life  and 
much  knowledge,  there  is  need  of  all,  and  of  their  several 
abilities." 


EXTRACT  FROM  A  VISITOR'S  MONTHLY 
REPORT. 

You  asked   us,  at  the  last   committee  meeting,  to  give 

some  sketch  of  our  mode  of  visiting.     Thus,  Mrs.  A 

had  never  been  used  to  the  Church ;  liked  it,  but  did  not 
feel  at  home  there,  because  she  could  not  find  her  places, 
so  with  her  I  commenced  a  little  series  of  lessons  on  the 
Prayer-Book.  At  each  visit  she  brought  the  book  out  with 
great  interest  to  show  me  what  progress  she  had  made, 
un-til  at  last  she  told  me  with  great  joy  that  now  she  had 

no  trouble,  and  could  find  everything  easily.     Mrs.  B , 

who  is  a  very  intelligent  woman,  often  asks  me  questions 
about  the  Church,  the  Prayer-Book,  and  the  Bible.  She 
said  there  were  many  things  she  wanted  to  ask  which  she 
could  not  think  of  when  I  came.  I  suggested'  that  she 
should  write  them  down  as  they  came  into  her  mind,  so 


364  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

that  gives  interest  to  every  visit.  Yesterday  she  brought 
out  her  Bible  with  the  passages  marked  that  she  could  not 
understand,  and  we  went  over  them  together.  I  have 
adopted  this  plan  in  several  cases,  and  find  that  it  works 
well.  It  makes  the  women  think  more,  and  look  forward 
with  more  interest  to  the  next  visit,  and  it  gives  the  visitor 
a  definite  object  and  a  special  subject  for  conversation.  Of 
course  it  is  always  understood  that  if  they  ask  me  anything 
which  I  cannot  answer  immediately,  I  may  wait  until  my 
next  visit,  and  bring  an  answer  then.  If  I  happen  to  be 
visiting  on  any  day  which  the  Church  especially  observes, 
I  speak  of  it,  tell  why  we  keep  it,  and  try  to  show  what  a 
help  the  Church  seasons  are  to  us  in  our  Christian  life, 
pointing  out  how  everything  in  the  Church  centres  in,  or 
points  to,  Christ.  Sometimes  I  carry  with  me  a  book  on 
the  Christian  life,  and  if  a  quiet  opportunity  offers,  suggest 
reading  a  chapter.  Yesterday,  for  instance,  I  read  the 
headings  of  several  chapters  to  a  woman,  asking  her  to 
choose  which  she  would  rather  hear.  The  reading  of  the 
chapter  she  selected  led  her  to  tell  me  of  her  own  greatest 
temptation  and  chief  hinderance  to  her  growth  in  grace, 
so  we  prayed  for  that  specially,  and  when  we  rose  from 
our  knees  she  told  me  she  was  sure  now  she  could  over- 
come it.  I  find  lessons  on  the  Prayer-Book  one  of  the 
most  important  points,  specially  in  visiting  those  who  have 
not  been  brought  up  in  the  Church,  and  are  so  ignorant 
about  it  that  it  is  almost  a  wonder  that  they  can  take  any 
interest  at  all  in  the  services. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  365 

Diocese  of  Pennsylvania, 
Episcopal  Rooms,  708  Walnut  Street, 
Philadelphia,  May  19,  1869. 

My  dear  Mr.  Welsh  : 

The  report  on  the  best  mode  of  working  a  parish,  pre- 
pared and  read  by  the  Rev.  John  W.  Claxton,  on  the  third 
day  of  our  last  Diocesan  Convention,  is  a  paper  of  such 
singular  merit  and  value,  that  I  am  quite  desirous  that  it 
should  have  more  publicity  and  a  wider  circulation  than 
can  be  given  to  it  through  the  pages  of  the  Convention 
Journal. 

But  as  the  report  is  necessarily  theoretical,  and  rather 
suggests  plans  for  the  future  than  gives  results  of  work 
already  accomplished,  I  take  the  liberty  of  asking  you,  to 
whom  I  have  committed  the  oversight  of  the  lay  work  con- 
nected with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Hospital,  to  furnish 
me  such  facts  and  statistics  in  connection  with  your  work 
as  will  throw  light  upon  the  report  by  showing  the  practi- 
cability of  carrying  out  its  suggestions. 

The  subject  is  one  of  vital  interest  to  all  our  parishes. 
The  engrafting  of  one  or  more  features  of  the  plans  suggested 
by  the  report  upon  our  several  parishes  would  give  new  life 
and  growth  to  each.  We  cannot  expect  parochial  success 
unless  we  have  parochial  work.  The  true  secret  of  parochial 
work  is  to  have  apportioned  to  each  one  special  work,  and 
then  to  see  that  all  come  up  to  the  measure  of  their  duty  in 
the  work.  The  suggestions  of  the  report  being  mostly  based 
on  certain  points  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Diocese  by 
my  primary  charge,  ''  On  the  Undeveloped  Powers  of  the 
Church,"  delivered  before  the  Convention  in  1865,  I  nat- 
urally feel  an  earnest  solicitude  to  see  these  hints  in  practical 
operation.  Wherever  they  have  been  tested,  they  have 
produced  good  results.  I  want  to  have  these  views  more 
extensively  adopted,  and  more  thoroughly  acted  upon. 
While  the  whole  power  of  the  Church  resides  in  its  in- 

31* 


^66  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

dwelling  Holy  Ghost,  yet  that  Blessed  and  Divine  Spirit 
works  mainly  through  human  instrumentalities,  and  the 
more  wisely  we  adjust,  increase,  and  use  these,  in  the 
various  forms  here  indicated,  the  more  eifective  will  be  the 
Church  in  its  ability  to  reach  the  masses,  and  leaven  tliem 
with  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  hope  that  you  may  find 
time  to  give  some  of  the  results  of  your  own  labors,  and 
those  of  some  of  your  indefatigable  co-workers  in  such  a 
form  as  may  be  most  useful  in  guiding  the  working  energies 
of  both  the  clergy  and  the  laity. 

I  remain,  very  truly,  yours, 

WM.   BACON  STEVENS.. 
Wm.  Welsh,  Esq. 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


3^7 


PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS 

AS   TO 

PAROCHIAL    AGGRESSIVE    WORK. 


PREPARED   AT   THE    REQUEST   OF    BISHOP   STEVENS. 


Before  considering  the  modes  of  operation  and  the 
results  of  aggressive  work  in  connection  with  the  Hospital 
Chapel  Mission  and  other  kindred  fields,  as  suggested  by 
Bishop  Stevens,  it  may  be  well  briefly  to  refer  to  the  simple 
gospel  principles  on  which  that  work  is  based.  To  give 
permanency  to  the  result  of  their  labors,  the  most  thorough 
Church  organization  is  highly  prized  by  those  engaged  in 
this  aggressive  work,  all  of  whom  act  under  the  authority 
and  supervision  of  their  respective  ministers.  They  in- 
variably strive  to  bring  all  whom  they  seek  to  benefit,  into 
union  with  the  Church,  and  to  interest  them  in  her  public 
services,  either  at  once,  or  as  soon  as  may  be  after  they 
have  become  connected  with  a  mothers'  meeting,  a  Bible- 
class,  or  some  other  preliminary  organization  in  which  they 
are  socialized  and  instructed. 

Although  the  minister  alone  can  officially  incorporate 
into  the  visible  Church,  and  his  active  personal  agency  is 
needful  to  strengthen  the  bond  of  union  with  it,  yet  in 
seeking  out  the  indifferent  and  sinful,  and  drawing  them  to 
Christ,  and  making  them  feel  at  home  in  his  Church,  the 
voluntary,  persuasive  influence  of  a  refined  woman  is  in 


368  WOMEN  I/ELPEKS   EV   THE    CHURCH, 

most  cases  more  potent  for  good  than  any  that  a  man  can 
exert  or  even  than  the  official  authority  of  the  minister. 
This  is  obvious  and  natural,  for  the  same  manifestation  of 
M^oman's  persuasive  power  is  equally  apparent  in  the  family 
relation  where  much  more  is  accomplished  for  morals  and 
religion  by  the  persuasive  influence  of  the  mother,  although 
God  intrusts  the  father  with  supreme  authority.  This  is 
especially  apparent  in  reclaiming  and  imparting  hopefulness 
and  new  moral  power  to  a  son  or  daughter  who  has  strayed 
from  the  path  of  virtue,  or  who  left  the  parental  roof 
because  it  was  not  a  congenial  home. 

The  Church,  in  her  Sunday  and  parochial  schools,  is  now 
largely  using  woman's  power  in  teaching  and  training  the 
young ;  and  in  a  few  parishes  where  the  Church  is  awakening 
to  the  painful  consciousness  that  she  has  not  provided  a 
congenial  home  for  her  children  as  they  approach  maturity, 
and  for  adults  whose  lot  is  labor,  woman's  persuasive  power 
is  beginning  to  be  freely  used  in  reclaiming  wanderers  and 
welcoming  them  to  their  Father's  house.  In  such  cases,  it 
is  both  humiliating  and  encouraging  to  find  that  the  chief 
part  of  our  youth  and  of  working  people  become  estranged 
from  the  Church,  not  so  much  from  disrelish  for  religion, 
as  from  the  too  obvious  fact  that  their  Father's  house  has 
not  been  made  a  congenial  home  for  them,  a  home  where 
cordial  fellowship  abounds  and  where  religious  instruction 
is  adapted  to  the  tastes  and  requirements  of  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men. 

This  use  of  woman's  voluntary  ministrations  is  merely  a 
return  to  the  usage  of  the  Church  in  apostolic  times ;  for 
St.  Peter  said  that  women,  both  bond  and  free,  witnessed  for 
Jesus  by  word  and  deed,  after  the  Pentecostal  fulfillment  of 
Joel's  prophecy.  Woman  so  readily  and  gracefully  conde- 
scends to  men  of  low  estate,  that,  with  her  help,  it  is  easy,  in 
ministering  to  the  poor,  to  check  the  too  free  use  of  money, 
which  is  often  viewed  as  a  compensation  for  the  lack  of 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  369 

personal  service,  and  frequently  begets  a  fawning,  cringing 
disposition  that  leads  to  self-deception  and  hypocrisy. 
Words  and  acts  of  loving  kindness  are  substituted  tor  this 
habit,  and  with  women's  tact  and  hopeful  help,  religion 
becomes  so  attractive  that  the  indifferent  and  desponding 
are  incited  to  aspirations  for  a  better  life.  In  parishes  that 
are  conducted  on  these  simple  gospel  principles,  the  min- 
ister is  not  overworked,  and  his  hands  are  upheld,  therefore 
he  is  disinclined  to  leave  such  a  parish.  It  is  also  found 
that  in  a  parish  thus  worked,  spiritual  life  and  aggressive 
operations  are  never  hindered  by  political  or  partisan  con- 
tentions, or  by  the  strong  opposition  and  distrust  that  are 
sometimes  manifested  by  other  religious  bodies.  Indeed, 
such  congregations  are  often  energized  and  banded  together 
so  closely  by  opposition  that  their  efficiency  is  increased. 

A  thoroughly  active  and  well-organized  gospel  Church 
has  nothing  to  fear,  even  if  all  «//r^- Protestant  bodies 
should  combine  against  her,  for  ihe  Church  of  Rome,  with 
all  her  obvious  errors,  suffers  but  little  from  the  violent  op- 
position to  which  she  is  constantly  subjected.  It  will  be 
well  for  all  religious  bodies  closely  to  scrutinize  her  educa- 
tional successes,  her  tender  care  for  the  sick,  and  all  the 
other  modes  by  which  she  generates  and  uses  spiritual 
power.  Surely,  no  well-organized  Church,  with  a  pure 
scriptural  faith,  claiming  to  have  divine  authority,  can  in 
this  Protestant  nation  be  content  any  longer  to  yield  ground 
to  a  foreign  Church  with  a  foreign  ministry.  Rome  will, 
no  doubt,  be  quite  contented  meekly  to  bear  all  the  public 
denunciation  which  can  be  heaped  upon  her,  if  Protestants 
are  willing  to  ignore  Church  schools,  Christian  sisterhoods, 
and  other  agencies  that  illustrate  the  practical  power  of 
Christianity. 

Protestant  sisterhoods  in  Europe,  and  every  attempted 
organization  of  the  services  of  Christian  women  in  this 
country  for  educational  or  charitable  purposes,  have  met 


370 


WOMEN  HELPERS   EV   THE    CHURCH 


with  such  suspicion  and  distrust  that  these  invahiable 
auxiliaries  of  the  Christian  Church  have  sometimes  been 
forced  to  customs  and  sympathies  which  were  at  first  very 
uncongenial.  Fortunately  for  Protestantism  this  unreason- 
able prejudice  is  fast  passing  away ;  and  the  future  of 
our  well-organized  Church  is  becoming  more  hopeful,,  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  following  extract  from  the  Pastoral  Letter 
of  the  House  of  Bishops  : 

''  Much  thought  has  been  given  by  your  Bishops,  as  well 
as  by  members  of  the  other  House  in  this  Convention,  to 
the  necessity  of  enlarged  associated  effort  in  works  of  mercy 
and  education.  Much  that  needs  to  be  done  can  be  accom- 
plished in  no  other  way  \  and  we  are  sure  that  men  and 
women  can  be  found,  '  the  love  of  Christ  constraining  them,' 
who  will  not  withhold  themselves  from  lives  of  labor  and 
self-denial,  in  ministering  to  the  sick  and  needy,  in  caring 
for  the  aged,  and  in  training  the  young.  Though  nothing 
more  than  a  decent  maintenance  can  be  expected  by  such 
devoted  servants  of  Christ,  it  must  be  remembered  that 
nothing  more  than  this  is  realized  by  thousands  who  sacri- 
fice not  only  their  bodies  but  their  souls,  in  hope  of  this 
world's  gain.  Let  it  be  understood  that  the  sort  of  asso- 
ciations we  thus  commend,  must  be  wholly  free  from 
ensnaring  vows,  or  enforced  confession,  and  in  all  things 
subject  to  canonical  and  diocesan  authority. 

"The  social  habits  of  our  country  afford  to  women,  even 
in  the  humbler  walks  of  life,  a  degree  of  exemption  from 
toil  and  industrial  activity,  unknown  in  other  countries, 
except  among  the  opulent.  Hence  thousands  of  *  women 
professing  godliness'  dwell  among  us,  like  those  rebuked 
in  Holy  Scriptures,  as  'women  who  live  at  ease  and  as 
careless  daughters.'  It  is  not  our  desire  merely  to  suggest 
the  need  of  a  reform  of  idleness  and  self-indulgence,  but 
rather  to  awaken  convictions  that  are  dormant,  and  to  enlist 
affections  and  energies  that  are   undeveloped.     It    is   the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  371 

peculiar  work  of  woman,  in  Christian  society,  to  furnish, 
in  manifold  domestic  and  social  offices,  and  in  works  of 
mercy,  spiritual  as  well  as  physical,  a  pattern  '  of  whatsoever 
things  are  pure  and  lovely  and  of  good  report.'  " 

In  this  memorable  Pastoral  Letter,  our  spiritual  Fathers 
have  rolled  off  the  reproach  that  the  Church  had  cast  upon 
woman  during  the  Dark  Ages,  thus  opening  up  a  bright  and 
hopeful  future.  With  woman's  help,  the  ministry  can  make 
the  Church  the  true  bride  of  Christ  by  using  Christian 
practices  to  illustrate  and  enforce  Christian  principles,  and 
thus  remove  a  strong  and  natural  prejudice  against  Chris- 
tianity, making  it  comparatively  easy  to  compel  all  men  to 
come  to  the  gospel  feast. 

The  concurrence  in  the  foregoing  principles  is  now  so 
general,  that  in  this  respect  there  is  greater  practical  unity 
in  the  Episcopal  Church  in  this  country  than  at  any  former 
period  in  her  history.  Everywhere  the  dormant  and  dis- 
cursive spiritual  life  of  her  members,  too  long  restrained, 
or  allowed  too  much  play,  is  beginning  to  be  exercised  in 
more  aggressive  and  more  orderly  parochial  missionary 
work ;  hence  the  question  comes  from  all  quarters,  How 
shall  I  begin  to  reduce  these  principles  to  practice?  The 
writer,  at  the  request  of  the  Bishop,  will,  in  the  brief  period 
of  leisure  at  his  disposal,  endeavor  to  show  how  such  work 
was  commenced  and  is  now  successfully  conducted  in  half 
a  dozen  fields  that  are  under  his  observation.  For  the  sake 
of  clearness,  these  experiences  will  be  stated  under  four  of 
the  general  heads  indicated  by  the  Committee  on  the  best 
means  of  working  a  parish,  and  approved  by  the  Con- 
vention. 

Fi7'st.  Generating  and  exercising  a  missionary  spirit  in 
the  parish. 

Second.  Religious  and  secular  instruction  for  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  men. 

Third.  Intelligence  and  reverence  in  public  worship. 


372 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


Fourth.  Free  services,  and  their  necessary  accompani- 
ments of  Christian  fellowship  and  pastoral  supervision. 

First.  A  missionary  spirit,  when  developed  and  increased 
by  prayerful,  self-denying,  personal  efforts  for  the  salvation 
of  others,  is  the  surest  evidence  of  the  indwelling  Spirit^ 
and  the  source  of  all  the  aggressive  parochial  work  under 
consideration.  The  obvious  Christian  duty  of  personal 
ministrations  is  first  enunciated  distinctly,  authoritatively, 
and  persuasively  from  the  pulpit,  not  only  as  a  requirement 
of  God  and  the  most  satisfactory  evidence  of  possessing  the 
Spirit  of  Christ,  but  also  as  a  very  important  means  of  grace. 
Then  the  minister,  or  an  intelligent  and  trained  worker 
whom  he  has  selected,  diligently  and  perseveringly  seeks  out 
and  persuades  some  suitable  person  to  begin  a  small  specific 
work.  Rarely,  if  ever,  do  suitable  women  proffer  their 
services  because  of  a  public  call;  indeed,  their  diffidence  is 
often  so  great  that  some  of  the  ministering  women  who  are 
doing  most  efficent  service,  had  to  be  drawn  into  the  work 
insensibly  to  themselves.  Refined,  self-distrustful,  or  even 
morbidly  sensitive  women  are  among  the  most  efficient 
workers  ;  and  surely  such  are  not  likely  to  offer  their  ser- 
vices, or  to  begin  with  general,  or  large  operations. 

Few  women  who  possess  anything  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
will  refuse  to  accompany  a  pastor,  or  experienced  worker 
of  his  selection,  to  visit  periodically,  and  talk,  or  read,  or 
sing  to  some  less  favored,  or  afflicted  child  or  sister.  If 
judiciously  dealt  with,  such  a  visitor  soon  takes  pleasure  in 
the  work,  for  she  sees  that  her  visits  are  appreciated.  She 
is  then  induced  to  extend  the  field  of  her  operations,  or  to 
aid  in  gathering  children  into  Sunday-  and  parochial- 
schools,  to  visit  or  teach  them  when  there,  to  draw  men 
into  Bible-classes,  or  women  into  mothers'  meetings,  etc. 
These  visitors  soon  find  that  they  can  use  much  of  their 
reading,  and  all  of  their  experience,  both  sad  and  joyful, 
for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  less  prosperous,  or  to  whom 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


373 


God  has  intrusted  fewer  talents.  Sympathy  in  domestic 
cares  and  trials  soon  flows  out  spontaneously,  suggestions 
as  to  family  duties  are  kindly  and  judiciously  given,  and 
even  instruction  in  handicraft  often  makes  the  visit  most 
welcome,  and  all  this  prepares  the  way  for  the  great  aim, 
instruction  in  spiritual  things.  What  was  at  first  an  act  of 
self-denial,  undertaken  from  a  stern  sense  of  duty,  or  aftei 
much  wrestling  in  prayer,  or  under  the  constraining  influ- 
ence of  a  Saviour's  love,  often  becomes  the  highest  joy  of 
life,  repeating  some  of  St.  Paul's  blessed  experiences. 

Spiritually-minded  Christians  who  imitate  their  Mastei 
by  going  about  doing  good,  soon  feel  the  necessity  of 
private  prayer  before  and  after  each  visit,  that  they  may 
have  spiritual  guidance  in,  and  a  blessing  upon,  their  work  ; 
but  more  than  ordinary  humility  and  grace  are  needed  by 
most  visitors,  before  they  are  willing  to  pray  with  those 
whom  they  are  striving  to  benefit.  This  natural  shrinking 
from  an  important  scriptural  duty  is  often  heightened  by  the 
extravagant  and  offensive  use  of  prayer  by  some  overzealous 
Christians,  or  by  the  too  common  belief  among  us  that  lay 
people  are  to  worship  and  to  give  freely  of  their  money, 
and  then  to  throw  upon  the  minister  all  the  responsibility 
of  praying  with  others.  Either  of  these  extremes  is  well- 
nigh  fatal  to  enduring  parochial  missionary  work ;  but  the 
last  is  by  far  the  worst,  for  there  are  times  and  seasons 
when  the  very  tones  of  a  voice  engaged  in  prayer  seem  to 
be  God's  special  channel  of  grace.  Simple,  earnest  prayer 
at  such  times  and  seasons,  for  special  needs,  not  only 
teaches  the  uneducated,  the  frail,  and  the  desponding  how 
to  pray,  but  opens  up  to  such  this  channel  of  grace,  thereby 
comforting,  assuring,  and  strengthening  their  faith.  Where 
the  importance  of  this  duty  is  fully  appreciated,  timid  but 
spiritually-minded  visitors  usually  begin  by  first  praying 
with  the  young  or  very  illiterate,  with  whom  they  feel  more 
free  from  embarrassment.     Some  of  those  who  were  once 


374  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

the  most  timid  and  shrinking,  now  pray  whenever  they 
believe  that  those  whom  they  visit  can  be  aided  or  benefited 
thereby.  Where  prayer  with  others  is  neglected,  either 
from  principle  or  prejudice,  or  from  lack  of  spirituality, 
visits  seem  to  be  unproductive  of  lasting  benefit,  mothers' 
meetings  and  Bible-classes  languish,  pecuniary  stimulants 
are  often  substituted,  and  the  whole  system  of  lay  work  is 
condemned  and  discarded.  Experience  has  revealed  the 
fact  that  prayer  with  an  individual  has  no  stronger  tendency 
to  generate  spiritual  pride  than  praying  in  the  closet,  and 
that  it  may  also  be  a  high  means  of  grace  to  the  teacher  as 
well  as  to  the  taught.  In  the  parishes  under  consideration, 
this  prayerful  and  intelligent  personal  effort  for  the  salva- 
tion and  spiritual  edification  of  others  is  promoted  in  every 
possible  way,  and  as  one  of  the  aids  to  it  indicated  in  the 
gospel,  members  of  the  Sunday-school,  of  Bible-classes, 
and  of  mothers'  meetings  are  encouraged  to  unite  two  and 
two  for  mutual  prayer  and  support. 

The  mode  of  generating  a  missionary  spirit  is  here  dwelt 
upon  at  some  length,  because  without  it  the  whole  parish 
work  is  apt  to  become  secularized,  whilst  with  its  aid  all 
the  appliances,  even  sewing-schools  and  industrial  instruc- 
tion for  adults,  are  made  helpful  to  spiritual  life.  Some, 
who  have  little  natural  aptitude  for  giving  religious  instruc- 
tion to  the  indifferent  and  the  sinful,  are  quite  willing  to 
show  kindness  to,  and  to  nurse  the  sick  and  afflicted.  As 
hospitals  are  too  expensive  to  be  managed  by  a  single  paro- 
chial organization,  a  dispensary  can  be  substituted  at  very 
little  cost  and  with  still  higher  spiritual  benefit,  as  the  pa- 
tients can  be  followed  to  their  homes.  It  is  increasingly 
evident,  that  a  parochial  mission-house  is  needed,  in  which 
all  the  work  of  the  parish  may  centre,  and  thus  make  it  ap- 
parent that  it  flows  out  from  the  Church.  In  many  parishes 
much  sick  diet  is  furnished,  and  other  acts  of  kindness  are 
manifested,  in  a  way  that  rather  tends  to  increase  interest 


THEIR   SAVI.VGS  A. YD   DOIXGS. 


375 


ill  the  individual  giver,  than  to  commend  Christ's  love  or 
to  aid  in  incorporating  the  receivers  of  these  benefits  into 
the  Church. 

Where  parishes  stir  up  and  direct  this  missionary  spirit, 
money  flows  steadily  and  freely  into  every  missionary 
channel,  and  ardent  and  intelligent  workers  will  be  ready 
to  search  for  and  to  occupy  every  ripe  field. 

Second.  Religious  and  secular  instruclion  for  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  men.  The  chief  excellence  in  the  recent 
successful  efforts  to  impart  spiritual  benefits  to  classes  hith- 
erto imperfectly  reached,  lies  in  the  amount  of  religious 
instruction  given  in  neglected  homes,  in  Bible-classes,  and 
in  mothers'  meetings. 

The  parish  missionary  workers  rely  much  on  the  religious 
instruction  given  in,  and  the  watchful  care  over,  the  family. 
Their  visits  to  these  houses  are  not  made  merely  to  invite 
the  inmates  to  church  or  to  some  preparatory  class,  but  to 
commend  Christ's  love  intelligently  and  perseveringly,  fol- 
lowing up  each  person  over  whom  any  influence  can  be  ac- 
quired, either  directly  or  through  the  help  of  friends.  The 
readiness  of  heart  and  mind  to  receive  religious  instruction 
and  to  respond  to  its  appeals  is  most  encouraging,  but  much 
gentleness  and  tact  are  required,  for  very  rarely  is  it  dis- 
creet to  make  an  appeal  in  the  presence  of  a  third  person. 
There  is  no  assignable  limit  either  to  the  extent  or  influ- 
ence of  this  character  of  work,  for  new  acquaintances  are 
constantly  formed,  and  some  of  those  who  were  once  either 
indifferent  or  opposed  to  religion  become  efficient  helpers. 
In  one  of  the  parishes,  six  hundred  families  are  thus 
reached,  and  during  the  last  year  more  than  seven  thousand 
visits  were  paid  to  their  homes  by  a  little  band  of  minister- 
ing women,  whose  gratuitous,  loving  labors  have  been  sig- 
nally blessed.  The  changes  wrought  in  some  of  these 
households  are  marvelous;  thrift  and  neatness  have  taken 
the  place  of  waste  and  untidiness;  family  prayer  has  been 


376  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE   CHURCH. 

introduced  and  the  moral  and  spiritual  interests  of  the 
children  watched  over.  Previous  to  these  visits,  the  bene- 
ficial influence  of  instruction  at  the  Sunday-school  was 
more  than  nullified,  whilst  now,  the  home  and  the  Church 
are  firm  allies  in  opposing  evil  and  overcoming  it  with 
good.     On  this  head  the  House  of  Bishops  thus  spoke: 

"The  Christian  family  is  more  and  more  regarded  among 
us  as  the  Divine  Institution  on  which  the  Church  itself 
mainly  relies  for  its  prosperity,  and  to  which  nothing  less 
than  the  succors  and  heavenly  consolations  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  can  impart  the  means  of  perpetuity  and  perfec- 
tion. Everything  must  languish  in  the  Church  until  all  our 
families  are  made  truly  Christian,  and  until  there  is,  as  of 
old,  a  church  in  every  house." 

The  experiment  of  Bible-classes  for  adults  and  youths 
taught  by  ladies  has  far  exceeded  the  expectations  of  the 
most  sanguine  teachers.  That  thirty,  forty,  sixty,  or  as  in 
one  instance,  over  one  hundred  women,  should  be  con- 
vened in  one  class  is  not  so  remarkable  as  that  thirty,  forty, 
sixty,  one  hundred,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  and  even 
one  hundred  and  seventy-six  working  men  should  be  banded 
together  in  separate  classes,  each  taught  by  a  lady.  Lads, 
who  are  just  approaching  manhood,  and  who,  owing  to 
their  connection  with  fire-companies  and  other  similar  asso- 
ciations, were  thought  to  be  as  untamable  as  hyenas,  have, 
through  the  agency  of  Bible-classes,  been  kept  in  the 
Church,  or  reclaimed  after  they  had  wandered  far  from 
holy  influences. 

There  is  often  less  difficulty  in  drawing  careless  and  un- 
godly men  to  a  Bible-class,  where  they  meet  their  com- 
panions and  are  cordially  welcomed  by  the  teacher,  than 
to  the  services  of  the  Church.  To  such  God's  word,  when 
clearly  expounded  and  illustrated,  seems  like  a  new  revela- 
tion. This  interest  is  readily  increased  by  information  on 
history,  geography,  and  social  life.     Few  trained  and  in- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS. 


377 


telligent  hearers  give  as  earnest  heed  to  the  utterances  of  an 
eloquent  preacher,  as  these  sons  of  toil  do  to  the  plain, 
earnest  teaching  by  the  ladies  who  conduct  these  classes. 
It  is  now  plainly  shown  that  the  Church  has  no  warrant  for 
withholding  Bible  instruction  from  adults  who  are  not  yet 
prepared  to  be  worshipers,  as  the  study  of  God's  word  in  a 
well-organized  Bible-class  is  more  attractive  and  effective 
than  sermons  of  more  than  ordinary  eloquence. 

If  the  minister,  like  the  Bible-class  teacher,  could  become 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  daily  joys  and  trials  of  his 
hearers,  could  divide  them  into  classes  uniform  in  tastes 
and  habits,  and  then  teach  them  from  consecutive  portions 
of  the  Bible,  he  would  undoubtedly  have  many  advantages 
over  these  women.  His  field  of  operation  would  of  neces- 
sity be  restricted,  and  he  would  suffer  some  disadvantages, 
for  the  members  of  these  Bible-classes  say,  "there  is  a 
touch  of  mother  about  woman's  teaching  that  softens  the 
heart."  They  also  say  that  they  are  able  to  bear  meekly 
such  plain  truths  from  woman  as  would  excite  opposition 
or  anger  if  uttered  by  man.  These  experiments  made  in 
different  places,  under  varying  circumstances,  reveal  the 
fact  that  the  closest  and  most  faithful  practical  instruction, 
instead  of  being  distasteful,  is  positively  attractive  when  the 
truth  is  evidently  spoken  in  love. 

In  conducting  such  a  class,  the  teacher  proposes  general 
questions,  occasionally  addressing  them  to  individuals  who 
she  knows  are  prepared  or  willing  to  answer.  She  also 
encourages  the  asking  of  questions,  which  she  believes  to 
be  put  in  good  faith,  and  which  are  calculated  to  draw  out 
information  on  the  subject  under  consideration, — though 
she  represses  anything  like  argument.  This  class-instruc- 
tion is  only,  a  part  of  the  teacher's  work.  She  becomes 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  peculiar  characteristics  of 
each  individual  by  private  conversation,  and  visits  to  the 
home  and  workshop,  that  she  may  appropriately  urge  upon 

32* 


378  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE   CHURCH, 

him  the  claims  of  religion, — such  appeals  being  always,  if 
possible,  followed  by  prayer.  A  judicious  teacher  rallies 
around  her  some  influential,  stable  members  of  the  class  as 
co-workers.  This  must  be  done  in  a  way  that  will  not  ex- 
cite jealousies  in  others,  or  lift  these  men  out  of  their  proper 
sphere  ;  the  duty  assigned  to  them  being  performed  under 
her  special  supervision.  Their  zeal  and  efficiency  in 
spiritual  work  often  surprise  and  humiliate  the  teacher. 
After  the  Bible-class  becomes  an  organized  power,  tem- 
perance and  other  iTioral  associations  are  allowed  to  grow 
out  of  it,  but  its  spiritual  influence  must  extend  over  every- 
thing in  any  way  connected  with  it. 

Mothers''  Meetings. — The  foundation  for  all  this  aggressive 
work  was  laid  by  canvassing  the  homes  of  children  con- 
nected with  Church-schools,  for  mothers  to  attend  a  meet- 
ing for  social,  industrial,  and  religious  purposes.  It  was 
soon  found  that  women  who  had  been  long  alienated  from 
God's  house,  and  who  tried  to  justify  themselves  by  the 
want  of  cordiality  at  the  church,  insufficiency  of  clothing, 
home  cares,  etc.,  were  readily  induced  to  come  with  their 
neighbors  to  a  social  meeting  of  mothers.  When  these 
women  were  thus  brought  under  religious  influences,  and 
had  improved  as  wives  and  mothers,  some  of  their  husbands 
asked  if  nothing  was  to  be  done  for  them.  The  following 
letter  sufficiently  explains  the  practical  working  of  this 
institution  : 

''Dear  Madam, — I  received  your  letter  of  the  23d  inst., 
and  avail  of  my  first  leisure  to  reply.  The  subject  of 
mothers'  meetings  lies  very  near  to  my  heart,  and  I  am 
always  rejoiced  to  have  the  opportunity  of  giving  the  results 
of  my  experience  to  any  who  desire  to  have  them. 

"Perhaps  I  had  better  begin  by  telling  you  what  you 

would   see   ordinarily  at   the   mothers'   meetings   in 

Church, .     If  you  were  to  go  in  there  at  half  after  six 


THEIR    SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS. 


379 


on  any  Thursday  evening,  you  would  find  yourself  in  a 
large,  cheerfully-lighted  Sunday-school-room,  the  forms 
mostly  square,  two  or  three  sided.  Perhaps  at  that  hour 
you  might  find  there  only  the  lady  in  charge,  with  one  of 
her  assistants,  and  two  or  three  'mothers.'  Gradually, 
however,  the  women  drop  in,  and  as  they  take  their  accus- 
tomed seats,  enter  into  friendly  chat  with  one  and  another 
around  them.  The  sewing  is  brought  out,  sometimes  their 
own,  sometimes  that  provided  for  them  at  the  meeting. 
They  do  not  all  sew,  for  ofttim,es  they  are  too  tired. 
Meanwhile  others  of  the  Committee  arrive  and  circulate 
among  the  mothers,  and  from  the  cheerful  hum,  you  might, 
if  your  eyes  were  closed,  fancy  yourself  at  an  evening  party. 

''  They  are  ordinarily  in  their  working  dresses,  neatness 
being  the  only  requisite.  Hood  and  shawls  are  laid  aside, 
because  it  is  more  sociable.  The  Principal  of  the  Com- 
mittee speaks  to  every  woman  in  the  room  and  gathers  in 
their  weekly  contributions  for  the  clothing  or  the  sick  club. 
Inquiries  are  made  about  matters  of  mutual  interest,  and 
often  the  lady  is  drawn  aside  that  advice  may  be  asked  and 
given,  or  some  sorrow  is  poured  into  her  ear  to  which  she 
is  ever  ready  to  respond  by  a  word  of  kindly  sympathy. 
You  may  go  into  a  small  room  adjoining  and  find  three  or 
four,  or  more,  learning  to  read  and  write.  At  one  end  ot 
the  room  you  will  see  the  mothers  grouped  around  a  young 
girl  who  is  the  librarian,  for  the  evening,  of  the  parish 
library. 

''Valuable  books  are  thus  carried  to  the  home  for  the 
husband,  perhaps,  or  for  the  mother  herself.  You  will  no- 
tice one  lady  going  from  form  to  form  with  a  little  box  in 
her  hand  gathering  in  the  pennies.  For  what  purpose? 
Last  year  for  a  poor  widow,  poorer  than  themselves;  this 
year  for  their  Indian  sisters,  at  the  Santee  Mission.  And 
so  the  evening  wears  on,  till  by-and-by  a  bell  is  rung,  and 
the  work  folded  up  and  put  away.    And  then  all  is  hushed. 


38o 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 


and  the  hymn  is  sung,  and  the  portion  from  the  Bible  read, 
simply  explained,  and  practically  enforced.  Then  prayer 
is  offered,  the  doxology  sung,  and  they  go  to  their  respect- 
ive homes,  refreshed  for  the  duties  of  the  coming  week. 

''And  this  has  been  going  on,  with  slight  variations,  for 
the  last  eight  and  a  half  years,  and  still  we  are  not  weary. 

"  'Do  you  give  them  the  garments  they  make?'  No, — 
emphatically,  no.  The  work,  apart  from  that  which  very 
few  of  them  bring  with  them,  is  done  for  others.  During 
the  war  we  worked  for  the  soldiers  in  hospital.  Next,  we 
made  a  box  of  clothing  for  the  Indian  children ;  sometimes 
sheets  and  pillow-cases,  etc.  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  sick; 
sometimes  we  sew  for  a  mother  who  is  sick  and  overworked 
and  cannot  do  her  own  sewing.  This  winter  we  are  work- 
ing for  the  Indians. 

''Our  principle  is,  to  offer  no  pecuniary  inducement  for 
any  to  attend.  Those  who  come  with  that  in  view  soon 
stop  coming. 

"In  this  connection  I  will  speak  of  the  Clothing  and 
Sick  Clubs,  to  which  reference  has  been  made  above. 
They  have  both  grown  out  of  our  mothers'  meeting,  and 
were  not  at  all  comprehended  in  our  original  plan,  and 
should,  I  think,  never  be  had  in  the  commencement  of 
such  an  enterprise. 

"The  Clothing  Club  is  very  simple  in  its  plan.  The 
mothers  (such  as  like)  pay  into  it,  as  they  can,  ten  cents  to 
one  dollar  per  week,  and  receive  an  equivalent  in  muslin, 
calico,  and  ready-made  garments,  shoes,  and  sometimes 
coal.     For  all  these  articles  they  pay  cost  price. 

"The  Sick  Club  is  intended  to  help  mothers  in  their 
sicknesses  other  than  confinements.  One  dollar  is  charged 
for  the  entrance  fee;  eight  cents  per  week  is  the  stated 
payment.  Any  one  who  has  been  a  member  for  a  year, 
and  whose  dues  are  all  paid,  receives  in  sickness,  three 
dollars  a  week,  and    thirty  dollars  are  paid    towards  her 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  381 

funeral  in  case  of  death.  No  woman  can  join  either  of 
these  clubs  till  she  has  been  a  member  of  mothers'  meet- 
ing three  months. 

"'How  often  do  you  visit  them?'  Our  rules  require 
that  each  woman  shall  be  visited  at  least  once  a  month.- 
In  case  of  sickness,  sorrow,  etc.,  more  frequently.  There 
is  no  limit  assigned  to  the  frequency  of  visits  when  the  vis- 
itor has  the  time.  A  weekly  visit  is  a  great  boon  to  some 
of  our  mothers.  I  need  hardly  add  that  these  visits  should 
be  purely  visits  of  friendship  and  sympathy.  My  own  ex- 
perience has  taught  me  that  till  such  a  bond  is  established, 
the  less  of  advice  given  the  better, — u?tiess  it  is  sought. 

"  'Do  you  use  a  form  of  prayer?  and  whose?' 

"The  only  form  of  prayer  that  we  use  is  that  which  our 
Church  puts  into  the  hands  of  all  her  children.  We  com- 
mence with  the  Confession,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  then  a 
selection  of  Collects  only,  or  Collects  with  a  brief  extem- 
pore prayer, — ^just  as  our  needs  may  be.  I  occasionally 
read  some  interesting  paper  bearing  on  the  subject  that  I 
wish  to  bring  before  them;  sometimes  a  narrative. 

"Once  a  month  we  have  a  missionary  evening,  when  I 
read  to  them  facts  which  I  cull  from  the  Spirit  of  Missions, 
private  letters,  or  other  sources. 

"The  end  and  aim  of  all  our  efforts  is  to  bring  our 
mothers  to  the  Saviour,  and  into  connection  with  his 
Church. 

"Yours,  truly  and  respectfully, 

"R." 

Secular  instruction  has,  in  these  operations,  been  con- 
fined mainly  to  night-schools,  which  are  held  in  some  par- 
ishes through  nine  or  ten  months.  When  the  session  is 
protracted,  it  is  found  best  to  open  the  school  two  nights 
in  the  week  for  girls,  and  two  for  boys,  as  the  evening  is 
their  only  period   of  leisure.     There  are  some  successful 


382  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 

parish  schools,  but  not  of  so  high  a  grade,  nor  on  so  ex- 
tended a  scale  as  Rome  will  force  us  to  adopt  ere  long.  When 
the  Church  dignifies  and  spiritualizes  the  office  of  a  parish 
school-teacher,  and  affords  her  daughters  the  special  train- 
ing needed  for  the  work,  surely  devoted  women  will  offer 
themselves  as  freely  as  they  now  do  for  service  in  public 
schools.  Experiments  already  made  with  the  aid  of  trained, 
devoted  women  have  been  so  successful,  that  the  Church 
can  ill  afford  to  delay  much  longer  the  adoption  of  an  ex- 
tended system  of  secular  instruction. 

Third.  Litelligetice  and  Reve7'ence  in  Public  Worship. 
The  liturgical  service  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
seems  so  plain  and  simple  to  educated  persons  who  have 
been  long  accustomed  to  use  it,  that  they  find  it  difficult 
to  make  proper  allowance  for  the  uneducated  and  the 
stranger,  who,  untaught,  are  much  embarrassed  in  its  use. 
This  difficulty  is  often  urged  as  an  objection  to  the  Prayer- 
Book.  That  ground  is  at  present  well  taken,  and  it  will 
continue  to  be  fatal  to  the  catholicity  of  the  Church,  unless 
there  is  ample  provision  for  training  all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions of  men  in  the  intelligent  use  of  our  Liturgy.  Irrev- 
erence in  God's  house  is  easily  acquired ;  and  superstitious 
reverence  without  intelligence  seems  to  be  equally  easy 
when  it  is  authoritatively  substituted  for  religion;  but  intel- 
ligent, reverential  public  worship  is  so  difficult  that  it  re- 
quires special  study  and  training.  This  difficulty  enhances 
the  importance  of  instruction  in  the  Prayer- Book,  and  of 
training  in  its  use,  not  only  in  Bible-classes  and  mothers' 
meetings,  but,  also,  from  house  to  house:  for  next  to  the 
study  of  God's  Word  come  intelligence  and  reverence  in 
divine  worship.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that,  even  with 
the  sons  of  toil,  our  liturgical  service  affords  unequaled  ad- 
vantages in  promoting  intelligent  and  reverent  public  wor- 
ship; but,  to  accomplish  this,  the  efforts  of  the  minister 
must  be  seconded  by  the  educated  members  of  his  congre- 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  383 

gation.  With  their  aid  in  visiting,  and  in  the  preparatory 
departments  just  referred  to,  intelligent  and  reverent  wor- 
ship can  be  restored  to  the  Church.  In  connection  with 
the  Bible-classes  and  mothers'  meetings  that  are  now  in 
active  operation,  there  is  instruction  in  the  use  of  the 
Prayer-Book  at  special  meetings  convened  for  that  purpose, 
and  persons  thus  trained  help  the  stranger  by  finding  places, 
and  encourage  him  by  responding  aloud  at  his  side.  The 
considerate  minister  allows  time  for  those  who  are  not 
familiar  with  the  Prayer-Book,  to  find  the  Psalter  for  the 
day;  and  he  reads  deliberately,  making  such  pauses  as  ex- 
perience shows  to  be  necessary  where  the  congregation  is 
not  wholly  composed  of  educated  adults. 

Children,  in  some  of  the  parish,  industrial,  and  Sunday- 
schools,  are  taught  to  repeat  the  general  Confession,  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  and  the  Creed  aloud  and  in  unison,  and  to 
read  the  Psalter  in  the  same  manner.  In  some  cases,  to 
quicken  interest  in  the  school,  a  dozen  boys  and  girls  were 
specially  trained  to  read  the  Psalter  for  the  day,  and 
although  far  below  the  average  in  age  and  education,  read 
more  distinctly  and  effectively  than  a  school  of  over  three 
hundred  pupils  and  thirty  teachers,  who  took  the  alternate 
verses.  At  other  times,  the  girls  with  their  teachers,  and 
the  boys  with  theirs,  read  alternately.  The  Prayer-Book 
is  the  only  book  of  devotion  used  in  these  schools,  that 
children  may  become  familiar  with,  and  take  pleasure  in, 
the  public  worship  of  the  Church.  As  far  as  is  possible, 
the  chants  and  tunes  used  in  the  Church  are  taught  in  the 
schools ;  this,  with  their  training  in  reading  the  Psalter, 
makes  God's  house  attractive  to  them.  The  infant  depart- 
ment of  the  Sunday-school  too  often  promotes  habits  of 
irreverence, — and  makes  devotional  music  distasteful  by  the 
constant  use  of  inappropriate  and  exciting  tunes.  In  the 
parishes  under  consideration,  there  is  an  effort  to  correct 
these  abuses,  and  the  schools  are  full  and  popular;  their 


384 


WOMEN  HELPERS  IN  THE    CHURCH, 


members  growing  up  into  manhood  and  womanhood  in  the 
Church,  because  they  are  trained  in  intelligent  worship, 
instead  of  being  stimulated  with  excitants  that  quicken  the 
natural  relish  for  the  world,  for  ritualism,  or  for  the  reli- 
gious bodies  that  seem  to  thrive  upon  such  aliment. 

Fourth.  Free  services,  Christian  fellowship,  and  parochial 
supervision  must  be  linked  together  by  an  inseparable  bond, 
or  the  Protestant  EjDiscopal  Church  cannot  fulfill  her  great 
mission.  The  introduction  of  free  services,  or  rather  of 
free  churches,  had  to  contend  against  a  firmly-fixed  habit, 
rich  proprietors,  a  self-indulgent  spirit,  and  strong  prejudices 
that  were  increased  by  the  indiscreet  or  unsound  men  who 
often  took  a  leading  part  in  the  movement.  The  following 
testimony  of  the  House  of  Bishops  gives  the  highest  human 
sanction  to  it:  ''In  consecrated  houses  there  can  be  no 
private  ownership  that  is  not  entirely  subordinate  to  the 
ownership  of  God  himself,  and  the  uses  of  all  his  children; 
and,  while  we  rejoice  in  the  multiplication  of  churches, 
professedly  free,  provided  they  are  properly  maintained, 
we  suggest  that  hundreds  of  our  churches,  apart  from  the 
ordinary  services  of  the  Lord's  Day,  might  be  freely  opened 
to  all  comers,  for  the  ministrations  of  the  blessed  gospel." 

Christian  fellowship  had  well-nigh  ceased  in  our  Church, 
through  the  unfavorable  effect  of  the  pew-system,  of  social 
distinctions,  and  of  other  worldly  influences.  Pastoral 
supervision  seemed  also  to  be  decreasing  in  extent  and 
influence  from  very  many  causes.  After  failures  and  partial 
success,  free  services  and  free  churches  have  at  length 
taken  root;  and  with  the  aid  of  Christian  fellowship  and 
pastoral  supervision,  the  system  seems  to  be  capable  of 
indefinite  expansion  and  universal  application,  with  the 
promise  of  perpetuity,  because  it  is  based  on  the  gospel 
principle. 

Free  services,  when  grafted  on  the  pew-system,  may  be 
successful  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  until  her  people  become 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND  DOINGS.  33- 

enlightened  and  independent  of  priestcraft.  Even  there, 
the  people  are  socialized  and  compacted  by  innumerable 
sodalities  or  associations  that  abound  in  good  fellowship ; 
and  we  all  know  the  closeness  of  pastoral  supervision 
through  the  confessional,  and  other  equally  objectionable 
instrumentalities.  With  us  these  occasional  free  services 
have,  in  no  case  that  has  come  under  the  observation  of  the 
writer,  accomplished  any  permanent  good  by  drawing  in 
and  compacting  any  large  number  of  self-supporting  work- 
ing people,  without  the  agency  of  mothers'  meetings  and 
Bible-classes  as  a  preparatory  movement.  Even  with  these 
appliances,  more  Christian  fellowship  and  pastoral  super- 
vision are  needful  with  occasional  free  services  than  with 
free  churches,  for  there  is  always  odium  in  having,  or  seem- 
ing to  have,  one  service  for  the  rich  and  another  for  the 
poor.  Experience  has  revealed  another  serious  objection 
to  half-way  measures,  except  as  a  preparatory  movement ; 
for  working  people  give  much  more  freely  towards  the  sup- 
port of  a  church  where  they  have  some  responsibilities,  than 
where  they  are  merely  received  on  sufferance. 

One  of  these  parishes  labored  under  this  difficulty  for 
seven  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  all  the  services  and 
every  seat  became  entirely  free,  causing  a  great  improve- 
ment in  all  respects.  The  other  churches  and  chapels  that 
are  under  consideration  are  free,  except  in  one  instance, 
where  one  out  of  three  services  is  not  free.  These  experi- 
ments, running  through  nine  years,  have  high  value  ;  as  none 
of  the  zealous  workers  were  advocates  for  free  churches 
until,  after  a  large  experience,  they  became  convinced  that 
the  great  neglected  classes  cannot  in  any  other  way  be 
brought  to  the  gospel  feast.  The  power  of  Christian 
fellowship  has  been  fully  tested  and  forcibly  illustrated, 
yet  these  workers  aver  that  in  no  case  has  any  disrespect 
been  shown  to  them,  neither  is  there  ever  any  disposition 
manifested  to  interfere  with  social  distinctions. 


386  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH, 

Pastoral  supervision  by  the  minister  or  by  his  visitors 
and  other  trained  helpers  is  just  as  necessary  to  keep  this 
people  in  a  living  connection  with  the  Church,  as  Christian 
fellowship  is  to  attract  them  to  it.  In  one  of  our  largest 
and  most  aggressive  city  parishes,  hundreds  of  working 
people  were  in  a  series  of  years  brought  into  a  living 
connection  with  the  Church, — they  were  confirmed,  and 
became  regular  communicants.  At  the  end  of  twenty  years 
the  rector  testified  that  he  did  not  know  the  spiritual 
condition  or  even  the  location  of  one-tenth  of  them.  This 
examination  enabled  him  to  see  the  absolute  necessity  of 
class  instruction,  of  good  fellowship  in  God's  house,  and 
also  of  the  adoption  of  some  systematic  plan  by  which  pas- 
toral care  might  be  incessantly  exercised  over  each  person. 
The  following  are  among  the  causes  that  make  a  close  pas- 
toral supervision  absolutely  necessary  in  connection  with 
aggressive  work : 

Working  people  are,  of  necessity,  more  or  less  migratory ; 
sometimes  the  removal  that  is  designed  to  be  temporary 
becomes  permanent.  At  other  times  it  is  so  sudden  that 
ministers  cannot  be  notified,  but  the  watchful  visitor  usually 
hears  of  it  directly  or  indirectly,  procures  for  him  a  letter 
of  transfer,  and  specially  commends  the  person  to  other 
Christian  workers.  Without  such  introduction,  the  feeling 
of  strangeness  in  God's  house  is  so  strong,  and  the  absence 
of  Christian  fellowship  so  chilling,  that  another  Church 
connection  is  rarely  formed,  until  affliction  comes,  or  they 
are  sought  out  by  some  visitor. 

Working  people  are  often  absent  from  church,  owing  to 
sickness,  the  care  of  children,  household  duties,  shabby 
clothing,  misunderstandings,  misrepresentations,  infirmities 
of  temper,  etc.  They  thus  acquire  a  habit  of  staying  at 
home  that  needs  to  be  corrected ;  for  if  they  are  not  missed, 
they  naturally  think  that  their  presence  is  not  desired. 
Surely  they  are  not  altogether  censurable  for   having  the 


THEIR   SAYINGS  AND   DOINGS.  387 

idea  that  in  a  Father's  house  the  presence  of  each  member 
should  be  desired,  and  that  even  the  absent  prodigal  should 
be  sought  for  and  welcomed.  With  cordial  Christian  fel- 
lowship and  close  pastoral  supervision,  this  once  estranged 
people  have  become  steadfast,  exemplary  communicants, 
whose  self-sacrificing  zeal,  humility,  and  simple  faith  often 
humble  their  more  favored  visitor.  In  each  of  these 
parishes  the  work  has  been  performed  in  the  strictest  sub- 
ordination to  the  minister;  and  there  has  always  been 
perfect  harmony,  as  is  certified  to  by  the  following  extracts 
from  a  publication  by  the  rector  of  one  of  them  : 

"Here  I  wish  to  have  it  noticed  that  the  services  thus 
performed  by  Christian  women  have  not  been  simply  in 
the  itistr-iution  of  these  young  or  older  men,  or  even  more, 
not  merely  in  the  bringing  them  from  their  common  haunts 
into  the  church  and  Bible-class,  valuable  as  these  services 
are.  No  !  they  have  amounted  to  real  pastoral  work,  to 
the  kind  of  labor  which  is  the  peculiar  province  of  the 
minister  k^X  the  gospel,  and  in  which  he  does  not  generally 
look  for  lay  help,  and  therefore  they  have  proven,  by  my 
experience,  to  be  real  assistants  to  the  ministry. 

"It  is  in  this  that  the  peculiar  value  of  our  experience 
consists.  Every  minister  has  looked  for  help  from  women 
in  training  those  who  are  to  be  taught,  but  it  is  a  new  thing 
to  have  a  minister's  special  working  power  in  his  pastoral 
office,  increased  by  so  many  pairs  of  eyes  and  so  many 
earnest,  prayerful  hearts  as  he  can  bring  women  to  labor 
for  him. 

"  Were  I  not  desirous  to  be  brief,  I  could  give  surprising 
cases  in  proof  of  what  I  have  mentioned  thus  generally, 
and  satisfy  any  one  that  Christian  women  may  become  the 
most  efficient  aids  of  the  pastor,  even  in  the  work  which 
most  particularly  belongs  to  him  as  pastor.  I  need  not  say 
here  that  the  ladies,  who  have  thus  been  instrumental  in 
bringing  sinners  to  Jesus,  remain  the  friends  of  such  con- 


^88  WOMEN  HELPERS  IN   THE    CHURCH. 

verts,  and  again  help  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  watching 
over  these  souls  and  keeping  them  in  the  right  way. 

*'I  trust  the  time  will  come  when,  in  our  Episcopal 
Church,  as  well  as  in  some  other  organizations,  it  will  be 
seen  to  be  unnecessary  that  a  separate  minister  be  supported 
for  every  two  or  three  hundred  people,  but  the  work  of  the 
gospel  may  be  carried  on  in  large  bodies  under  one  head, 
with  all  the  power  and  efficiency  which  belong  to  such 
concentration  of  strength.  W.  W." 


THE    END. 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS 


OF 


J    B.  LIPPINCOTT  &  Co. 

PHILADELPHIA . 


Will  be  sent  by  mail^  post  paid,  on  receipt  of  the  price. 

The  Albert  N'Tanza.      Great  Basin  of  the  Nile, 

and  Explorations  of  the  Nile  Sources.  By  Sir  Samuel  Whitb 
Baker,  M.  A.,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  &c.  With  Maps  and  numerous  Illi\s- 
tratious,  from  sketches  by  Mr.  Baker.  New  edition.  Crown  8vo. 
Extra  cloth,  $3. 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  I  "One  of  the  most  fascinating,  and  cer- 

instructive  books  of  travel   ever   issued  ;   |  tainly  not  the   least   important,  books  of 

and  this  edition,  at  a  reduced  price,  will   i  travel    published   during  the  century  " 

bring   it  within   the   reach   of  many  who  Boston  Eve.  Transcript 
have  not  before  seen  it. " — Bostonjounuxl.   \ 

The  Nile  Tributaries  of  Abyssinia^  and  the  Sword 

Hunters  of  the  Hamran  Arabs.  By  Sir  Samuel  White  Baker, 
M.  A.,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  &c.  With  Maps  and  numerous  Illustrations, 
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••We  have  rarely  met  with  a  descriptive  ]  dially  recommend  it  to  public  patronage 
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written  as  Baker's  Abyssinia,  and  we  cor-  |    Times. 

Eight  Tears'  Wandering  in  Ceylon.  By  Sir 
Samuel  White  Baker,  M.  A.,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  &c  With  Illustra- 
tions.    i6mo.     Extra  cloth,  $1.50. 

•'  Mr.  Baker's  description  of  life  in  Cey-  I  "  Notwithstanding  the  volume  abounds 
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of  its  birds  and  beasts  and  insects  and  rep-      of  Ceylon  is  well  and  carefully  described 


tiles,  of  its  wild  forests  and  dense  jungles, 
of  its  palm  trees  and  its  betel  nuts  and  in- 
toxicating drugs,  will  be  found  very  in- 
teresting. The  book  is  well  written  and 
y>«autifuUy  printed." — BaU.  Gazette. 


and  the  curiosities  of  the  famed  island  are 
not  neglected.  It  is  a  valuable  addition  to 
the  works  on  the  East  Indies." — PkHa 
Lutheran  Observer. 


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The  American  Beaver  and  his  Works,      By  Lewis 

H.  Morgan,  author  of  "The  League  of  the  Iroquois."  Hand* 
somely  illustrated  with  twenty-three  full-page  Lithographs  and 
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"  The  book  may  be  pronounced  an  ex- 
pansive and  standard  work  on  the  Ameri- 
can beaver,  and  a  valuable  contribution  to 
•cience."— TV.  V.  Herald. 

"  The  book  is  an  octavo  of  three  hun- 
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handsomely  bound  and  abundantly  illus- 
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criptive treatise  on  the  subject  of  which  it 
treats,  and  will  form  a  standard  for  those 
who  are  seeking  knowledge  in  this  de- 
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pincott  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  have  really 
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will  be  well  rewarded  " — Boston  Even. 
Traveler. 


The  Autobiography  of  Dr,  Benjamin  Franklin, 

The  first  and  only  complete  edition  of  Franklin's  Memoirs.  Printed 
from  the  original  MS.  With  Notes  and  an  Introduction.  Edited 
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"The  discovery  of  the  original  auto- 
graph of  Benjamin  Franklin's  character- 
istic narrative  of  his  own  life  was  one  of 
the  fortunate  events  of  Mr.  Bigelow's  dip- 
lomatic career.  It  has  given  him  the  op- 
portunity of  producing  a  volume  of  rare 
bibliographical  interest,  and  performing  a 
valuable  service  to  the  cause  of  letters. 
He  has  engaged  in  his  task  with  the  en- 
thusiasm of  an    American    scholar,   and 


completed  it  in  a  manner  highly  credit- 
able to  his  judgment  and  industry." — The 
New  York  TribuTie. 

"  Every  one  who  has  at  heart  the  honor 
of  the  nation,  the  interests  of  Am  irican 
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method  of  its  fulfillment" — Boston  Even. 
Transcript 


The  Dervishes,     History  of  the   Dervishes;   or. 

Oriental  Spiritualism.  By  John  P.  Brown,  Interpreter  of  the 
American  Legation  at  Constantinople.  With  twenty-four  Illus- 
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"  In  this  volume  are  the  fhiits  of  long 
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great  deal  of  personal  observation.  It 
treats,  in  an  exhaustive  manner,  of  the 
belief  and  principles  of  the  Dervishes. 


.  .  .  On  the  whole,  this  is  a  thoroughij 
original  work,  which  cannot  fail  to  be- 
come a  book  of  reference." — The  Philadn. 
Press. 


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edition.     Crown  8vo.     With  Illustrations.    Tinted  paper.     Extra 
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-  In  this  graphic  volume   Mr.    Dixon 
iketches  Americai>     en  and  women  sharp- 


ly, vigorously  and  truthfully,  under  every 
aspect." — Dublin  University  Magazinf 


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Our  Own  Birds  of  the  United  States,    A  Familiar 

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the  scientific  titles  of  the  cyclopjedias,  and 
we  know  them  at  once  as  old  friends  and 
companions.  We  commend  this  unpre- 
lendiiig  little  book  to  the  public  as  pos- 
sessing an  interest  wider  in  its  range  but 
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Gilbert  White's  Natural  History  of  Sel- 
borne.' — N.  Y.  Even.  Post. 

"  The  whole  book  is  attractive,  supply- 
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for  young  readers,  and  embodying  an  ar- 

A  Few  Friends^  and  How  They  Amused  Them- 
selves. A  Tale  in  Nine  Chapters,  containing  descriptions  of  Twenty 
Pastimes  and  Games,  and  a  Fancy-Dress  Party.  By  M.  E.  Dodge, 
author  of  "Hans  Brinker,"  &c.  i2mo.  Toned  paper.  Extra 
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rangement  and  system  that  will  often  make 
it  a  helpful  work  of  reference  for  older 
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"  To  the  youthful,  '  Our  Own  Birds'  is 
likely  to  prove  a  bountifial  source  of  pleas- 
ure, and  cannot  fail  to  make  them  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  birds  of  the 
United  States.  As  a  science  there  is  none 
more  agreeable  to  study  than  ornithology. 
We  therefore  feel  no  hesitation  in  com- 
mending this  book  to  the  public  It  is 
neatly  printed  and  bound,  and  is  profusely 
illustrated."— JV^w  York  Herald. 


"This  convenient  little  encyclopaedia 
strikes  the  proper  moment  most  fitly.  The 
evenings  have  lengthened,  and  until  they 
again  become  short  parties  will  be  gath- 
ered everywhere  and  social  intercourse 
will  be  general.  But  though  it  is  compar- 
atively easy  to  assemble  those  who  would 
be  amused,  the  amusement  is  sometimes 
replaced  by  its  opposite,  and  more  resem- 
bles a  religious  meeting  than  the  juicy  en- 
tertainment intended.  The  '  Few  Friends' 
rfiescribes  some  twenty  pastimes,  all  more 

Cameos  fro7n  English  History.     By  the  author  of 

"The   Heir  of  Redclyffe,"   &c     With  marginal   Index.      I2ma 
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or  less  intellectual,  all  provident  of  mirth, 
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smallest  numbers.  The  description  is  con- 
veyed by  examples  that  are  themselves 
'as  good  as  a  play.'  The  book  deserves 
a  wide  circulation,  as  it  is  the  missionary 
of  much  social  pleasure,  and  demands  no 
more  costly  apparatus  than  ready  wit  and 
genial  disposition."  —  Philada.  North 
A  merican. 


History  is  presented  in  a  very  attractive 

:  fol 


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ind  interesting  form  for  young  folks  in  this  I  — N.  Y.  Times. 
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elegant  and  convenient,  bringing  the  works 
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within  the  means  of  every  reader." — Bos- 
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An  Index  to  the  Principal  Works  in  Every  De- 

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^KACH    WORK    SOLD   SEPARATELY. -®» 


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